8 He is near [karov] that justifieth Me [He that vindicateth (i.e., maintains My Righteousness)] ; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is Mine adversary? [Ba'al Mishpat] let him come [draw] near to Me.

The anointed Jesus (not the dead body lying in the sepulchre of the Arimathean Joseph) is eternal power manifested in flesh; and, therefore, AIL, or in Saxon "God." Now Mi-cha-lo? -- WHO-LIKE-TO-HIM among the sons of the mighty? (Psalm 89:6). Therefore, because there is none to compare with him the "child born" and the "son given" to Judah, is styled in Isaiah 9:6, AIL givbor, "the Mighty Power."

Hence, when he appears in power and great glory to put a hook into the jaws of the leviathan, to slay the dragon in the sea, and to raise the dead, it will be said of him, Mi-cha-el? Who like to God? to "Yahweh the Man of War"? Who will contend with him? (Isaiah 50:8), with Jesus, the Eternal's king of the Jews?

Jesus, then, the Son of David and Son of the Eternal Power by David's daughter, is Michael the great Prince of Israel, who comes to redeem his kinsmen and their inheritance, and to break in pieces their oppressors.

But as he is not only a single individual, but also one containing many -- a manifold man -- whose symbolical number is 144,000; the many "in him" are constituents of "Michael the Great Prince," who delivers Israel in the time of trouble which transcends all the calamitous periods of human history since the Flood.

Phanerosis - Michael the Great prince.

11 Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.

Those who walk in their own light will not be saved.

We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ."

Consider this ye who labour in the way of righteousness under much reproach, and with much apparent futility, feeling often as if all were in vain. Consider it also ye who live in the selfish satisfaction of prosperity, and "are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph." God said by the prophet "Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel." This is practically what he says to us by the apostles.

Our gathering together to Christ for judgment is a meeting with God. The meeting will be very impressive in its accessories. It would be awe-striking if it were a meeting with Christ, who in the days of his flesh, could read the hearts of all men; this impressive meeting will not be with Christ alone, who can see through a man and has power over all flesh. But the meeting is before our fellow candidates for life eternal, whose numbers (embracing multitudes of the dead) are very great.

Not only they, but the angels are present in multitudes. Jesus says so frequently:

"The Son of Man shall come, and all the holy angels with him."

John, in Patmos, saw them in vision:

"The number of them was ten thousand, times ten thousand and thousands of thousands" (Rev. 5:11).

Such a vastness of concourse would seem to us to be inconsistent with judicial cognizance and individual detail. It would seem as if persons must be lost in such an endless crowd. It would be so in a mere mortal multitude. But we must remember that the embracing presence of the Spirit of God will make a great difference on this point. It will gather up the whole assembly into one comfortable unity, as we might say, in which all will be cognisant of everything that Christ says and does, and of every person who is the subject of his remark.

And now to have your case exhibited to the cognizance of such an assembly; will it not make your honour great, if honour it is to be? Will it not make your shame overwhelming if your case meet not with the Judge's approbation?

It is no fanciful prospect, it is as certain as our birth and death. Does not that contemplation predispose us to conform to the standard of what will be acceptable then? Does not this inspire us to put the proper small valuation on public opinion and human thought?

The Bible light of a thing is in very low esteem with mankind at present. It will shine out then as the only light by which men and things can be truly determined. The light created by mere human sentimentalities of all kinds makes a blaze in public life for the time being but it is a mere naphtha lamp glare hiding the light of the stars.

Christ is the light of the world, however effete robust mortals may for the time being consider the sentiment. All other light will be found false at last.

Seasons 2.28