The following study is the examination of the Scriptures in regards to the Order of Heaven. This order has been strongly emphasized within the writings of Ellen White, and many think that Ellen White is not being Scriptural. Check out the following video on the Great Controversy and the Sonship of Christ: The Great Controversy and Sonship of Christ
Terminology
In the bible there is a term denoting the angels - principalities and powers
- For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
- For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
- Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Order of Heaven
Where can we see the order in Heaven in the Bible? The order in Heaven can be seen in several places, but one of them is in Hebrews 1, where God glorified His Son. Before we go into detail in Hebrews 1, let’s first look at a few important things related to the Glory with which Christ was glorified.
- These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
When was the hour fulfilled when God had glorified His Son?
- Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
God had glorified His Son, after He raised Him up from the dead.
- Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
What kind of glory Jesus asked His Father to glorify Him?
- And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
Jesus prayed for the Father to glorify Him with the Father’s own self, with the glory He had with Him before the world was. This glory, the Father gave to His Son, before the foundation of the world.
- Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
"which thou has GIVEN me"
The word ‘given’ is in past perfect tense, indicating the past event - the one that happened before the world was
Christ asked the Father for the glory that the Father gave Him before the creation of the world. This is the glory He received from the Father before the world was. When coming as a man, Christ had deprived Himself of His glory, which God had given him initially.
- Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
- But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men…
- Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name
Prior to His incarnation Christ in His glory was equal with God, but because He made himself of no reputation in becoming in our likeness, now (John 17) He asked the Father to reinstate Him back to the same glory He have had with the Father before the the world was - He was in the form of God, equal with God.
In the first chapter of Hebrews, we have a description of the same. It describes the glory that Christ had with the Father before the world existed, and which He received again after being resurrected from the dead and glorified, highly exalted, being placed at the Father’s right hand, above every principality and authority. In Hebrews 1, we read that everything Christ received after His ascension is what He had and was before the creation of the world.
- God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
- Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Christ was appointed heir of all things before the world was, because by Him and for Him everything was created. God created everything by His Son.
- Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
- For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
- And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
- And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
- For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
In this text we see that God created everything by His Son, and that everything created was by Christ, and for Christ. Particularly it mentions that Jesus created angels - “whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him.”
When was the Son appointed heir of all things?
Hebrews 1:2 says that God by Christ created everything, as well that God appointed him to be heir of all things. Colossians 1:16 says that all things were created by Christ, and for Christ.
Did you catch it? The universe, all creation, was God’s gift to His Son. All things were created for Him, so God appointed Him to be a heir of all things. Within these verses we can see the rightful position of the Son of God, as the heir of all things, He had before the world was.
Colossians 1:19 says that it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell. Of what fullness the verse talks about?
- For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
- And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
It talks about the fulness of Godhead, more precisely the divinity. We are not talking about some part of divinity, rather the fullness of divinity. There is no lacking in Christ’s divinity, it is complete and full. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness of His divinity should dwell. The full divinity of the Son of God (which was the result of the Father’s pleasure) sets the Son of God apart from the angels, and the text clearly points out that Christ is the head of the angels. Here we can see clearly the order of Heaven.
In John 17 we saw that Jesus was praying to God to glorify Him with the glory which He had with the Father, before the world was, and it was the glory which the Father gave Him (John 17:24). In Hebrews 1 we see that God made Christ to be heir of all things, because by Him He created everything. In Colossians we saw that it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness of the Godhead dwell.
The Scripture says:
- But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
Everything comes from God, the Father, the Great Source of all. But everything comes through, or by His Son. All that Jesus receives He took to give.
- Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
In these verses we see the order of Heaven: Christ is next to God and equal with God, because He received everything from God.
The event Jesus prayed about in John 17 was His glorification after He was raised from the dead. Hebrews 1 depicts this event as setting up Christ in His rightful position, which He had before He humbled Himself and became man. He received the glory which was given Him by His Father, before the world was (John 17:24). In that event, by careful examination, we also recognize the order of heaven.
- Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
- Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
- Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
The position of Christ which He had received after His resurrection is the same position which He had before the angels came into existence. The glory by which He was glorified in the resurrection is the same glory God has given Him before the world was (John 17:24). That glory is the glory of the Father Himself (John 17:5 - “glorify me with thine own self”), as put in Hebrews 1:3 “being the brightness of His (Father’s) glory, the express image of His (Father’s) person”. Christ is the only begotten Son of God.
Verse 4 adamantly states the comparative position of Christ toward the angels. Christ “was made so much better than the angels”. We ask ourselves why Christ was made so much better than the angels. It was because He was made in the express image of the Father’s person. We hope you see the language behind Ellen White’s quotations where she said that Christ was begotten or made in the express image of the Father’s person. Hebrews 1 clearly compares the position of Christ with the angels, and sets Christ above them, solely for the reason that He is God’s Son. Because Christ was made in the express image of the Father’s person, He was “made so much better than the angels”, and then it adds, “as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they”. Did you catch that? By what virtue does Christ have supremacy over angels? Christ’s position was not obtained by the virtue of resurrection; rather, He obtained it by the virtue of inheritance. In the resurrection, Christ received the glory which He had with the Father before the world was (John 17:5). This glory was the glory of the Father Himself, the brightness of the Father’s glory, the express image of the Father’s person, and that glory was given to Christ before the world was (John 17:24). The reason this glory was given to Christ, and why Christ obtained that glory and that name, was Christ’s right to this inheritance as the Son of God.
The Son inherited the Father’s name. That name is more excellent than that of the angels. The Father glorified Christ, and as His (real) Son, He obtained a more excellent name than the angels.
- Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
- Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Christ inherited a name superior to the angels, before the angels were called into existence. After the resurrection, the Father once again enthroned Him at His right hand. In this, we again see the order in Heaven and the glory that Christ had before the world was. Christ is above every principality and authority, and His name is above every name. He is above the angels, at the right hand of God. Or as the text in Hebrews says, Christ has inherited a name more excellent than the angels.
- Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
- That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven [including angels], and things in earth, and things under the earth;
- And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
That is the glory which God gave Him because He loved Him before the foundation of the world; it is the glory of God the Father. This glory was given to Him. How? The text says that Christ is the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person. A similar expression is seen in Genesis 5:3.
- And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
The begotten child is the image of its parent. Christ, as the only begotten Son, is the perfect (express) image of the Father’s person. He is the radiance of His glory and the exact imprint of His Person.
- In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
- For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The glory which the Father had given to Christ, because He loved Him before the foundation of the world (John 17:24), is the Father’s glory “as the only begotten of the Father” John 1:4 because the Son had inherited that glory.
This is what Sister White said about how Christ received glory from the Father. By the virtue of being begotten or made.
“(speaking of Christ, He was) …not a son by creation, as were the angels, nor a son by adoption, as is the forgiven sinner, but a Son begotten in the express image of the Father’s person, and in all the brightness of his majesty and glory, one equal with God in authority, dignity, and divine perfection. In him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” {EGW, ST May 30, 1895, par. 3; 1895}
“The Eternal Father, the unchangeable one, gave his only begotten Son, tore from his bosom Him who was made in the express image of his person, and sent him down to earth to reveal how greatly he loved mankind.” {EGW, RH July 9, 1895, par. 13; 1895}
“In order that man might be placed on vantage ground with God, Christ, the only begotten Son of God, made in His express image, came to this world and in the likeness of humanity lived a perfect life….” {EGW, Ms127-1905.14; 1905}
“Christ was the Lord of heaven and earth, yet for our sake He became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. He was made in the likeness of God, yet He humbled Himself and took upon Him the form of a servant, that He might save us.” {EGW, Lt133-1905.6; 1905}
Important
The main point of controversy in Heaven was about Christ’s Sonship and His right to equality with God. The reason why Satan could not take Christ’s place is that Christ was the Son of the Father. Not a Son by creation as Lucifer was, but a Son begotten in the express image of the Father’s person, in all the brightness of the Father’s majesty and glory. That is why Hebrews 1 compares Christ with the angels in such extensive detail.
Psalm 2
- For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
Why is God comparing His Son with the angels? Because this crucial distinction resolves the Great Controversy.
As we mentioned earlier, in Hebrews 1 we read that everything Christ received after His resurrection and ascension was that which He had received from the Father before the foundation of the world. Hebrews 1:5 is included in that notion. When it says “this day have I begotten thee”, it refers to Christ’s Sonship from the Father, which existed from the very beginning, but is now most powerfully confirmed by Christ’s resurrection.
This text is often misinterpreted, as if Christ became the Son of God for the first time through His resurrection. However, in Christ’s glorification after His resurrection, He received the same glory He had previously received from the Father—the glory as the only begotten of the Father.
- Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
- I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
This verse has a twofold implication. The implication is setting up Christ in “the beginning, from everlasting”, and the second one is in the resurrection when Christ was again set up upon God’s holy hill of Zion. The Bible gives the implication to both events. Let’s examine the first one.
“Yet have I set my king”, the word ‘set’ is the Hebrew word ‘nâsak’, which means “to pour out, by analogy to anoint a king”. The same word was used in Proverbs 8:22-25.
- The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
- I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
- When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.
- Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:
How do we know that Christ is speaking in Proverbs 8?
The Bible previously told us that God created everything by His Son (Ephesians 3:8; Hebrew 1:2; Colossians 1:16; John 1:3). Proverbs 8 expounds how wisdom was with God in creating the world. The Bible is clear that God created everything by wisdom (Proverbs 3:19; Psalm 104:24). This leads us to infer that wisdom is represented by God’s Son. The confirmation of this inference is in 1 Corinthians 1:24, 30 and Colossians 2:3, where Christ “who of God is made unto us wisdom”, because in Him “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”—“Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God”. Comparing Spiritual with Spiritual, the inspired writings testify that wisdom speaking in Proverbs 8 is the Son of God Himself:
“And the Son of God declares concerning Himself: ‘The Lord possessed Me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting… When He appointed the foundations of the earth: then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him: and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him.’ Proverbs 8:22-30.” {EGW, PP 34.1; 1890}
In Proverbs 8, we see the same thing we see in Psalm 2. Personified wisdom, which represents Christ, is set up, “nâsak”, from eternity, from the beginning. The verse before says that the LORD possessed His Son in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. Interestingly, the word “possessed” in the original Hebrew is “qânâh”, which means “to acquire”. The LORD acquired His Son at the beginning of His way, before His works of old. The text confirms the same thing as in Psalm 2. The Son of God was brought forth (or begotten) before He created the world. If He had not been begotten, He would not be the Son of God. The Bible clearly testifies that Christ is truly the Son of God. We should have no doubt about this, because this is precisely the main point that Satan wants to obscure and cast doubt on even the clearest statements of Jehovah. Christ is God’s only begotten Son, and we should not doubt this. Just because we are limited and cannot comprehend the very concept of eternity, nor God’s nature, nor the way God begot His Son, we must not doubt the clearly revealed fact that God did this before His works of old. Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father.
"I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning"
How can Christ be from everlasting (eternal), and yet from the beginning? This is mathematically contradicting each other. Regardless of that, we have to accept this notion, by the authority of the Word of God. Christ is eternal, yet the Bible speaks of a “beginning.” He is begotten in the express image of the Father’s person.
Paul quotes Psalm 2 in his sermon in Acts 13 to confirm the fact that Christ is the Son of God, and that His resurrection is the most powerful evidence in support of this fact.
- And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
- God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
Psalm 2has a dual meaning. One describes Jesus’ glory which He received from the Father before the world was, and the other describes the regaining of that same glory after the resurrection. Glory as the only begotten of the Father. Christ’s resurrection from the dead was confirmation that Christ is the Son of God.
- Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
- (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
- Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
- And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
Most certainly Christ was declared to be the Son of God at His resurrection: “Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee”. But He was not declared to be the Son of God for the first time, nor did He become that for the first time. Such an understanding would be in contradiction with other testimonies in Scripture. At the very least, the Father testified at least twice that Christ was His Son during His life on Earth. During Christ’s life, all His miracles were proof that He was the Son of God, sent by God. The crowning and final proof that He was the Son of God is that the Father raised Him from the dead.
We have come full circle, and everything has returned to its initial proper place. In Hebrews 1:1-5 we have seen that the glory which Christ received in the resurrection is the glory which God had given Christ before the world was (John 17:24). This glory was the glory of the Father Himself (John 17:5). As from eternity past when Christ was begotten in the express image of the Father’s person (Hebrews 1:3), so was He when He came victorious out of the grave. As from eternity past it pleased the Father that in His Son all the fullness of the Godhead should dwell (Colossians 1:19; 2:9), so was it in the resurrection when Christ came out of the grave in His full divine power and might. As from eternity past when God created all things by Christ (Hebrews 1:2, Proverbs 8:22-30), and for Christ everything was made, so God appointed Him as heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2). So it was after the resurrection, when He was exalted above “every name that is named” (Ephesians 1:20-21). He received His rightful heritage again, but now as the Son of man, cumbered with humanity. As He was in the resurrection highly exalted, and God gave Him a name which is above every name (Philippians 2:9), including that of angels (Ephesians 1:21), so was it from everlasting when by inheritance Christ obtained a more excellent name than the angels. As in the resurrection when Christ “by himself purged our sins”, He was made much better than the angels (Hebrews 1:3-4), so was He [much better than the angels] in eternity past when He was made in the express image of the Father’s person (Hebrews 1:3-4). Just as God compared His Son to the angels in the resurrection (Hebrews 1:5), so did He when Lucifer was coveting the glory of the only begotten Son of the Father (John 1:14) in Heaven. The same declaration of Christ’s Sonship which happened in Christ’s resurrection was declared in Heaven, and the resurrection of Christ is the strongest evidence for the fact that Christ is indeed the Son of God, to the glory of God the Father!
When the mighty angel descended from heaven, parting the darkness from his track, the Roman guard fell as dead men before the resplendent glory, and Christ in his Godhead shone forth as he burst from the tomb, and rose triumphant over death and the grave. The disciples understood, when they saw him arisen from the dead, what he meant when he said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” {ST May 30, 1895, par. 7}
Shall our faith ever falter again? What stronger evidence could God have given us that Jesus is the Son of God? What greater evidence could be given of the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ than that which has been given by those who were eyewitnesses of his Majesty? … He came forth from the grave to vindicate his previous claims, to confirm the faith of his followers, to establish the truth of his Godhead before men, to make doubly sure the assurance that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. {ST May 30, 1895, par. 8}
Hebrews 1
In the context of Christ’s glory, as the only begotten of the Father, the glory that Christ received again at His resurrection, let us read Hebrews 1 once more and pay attention to the clear statements of Scripture about the order in Heaven.
Hint: bolded parts are referring to the order of Heaven.
- God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
- Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
- Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
- Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
- For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
- And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
- And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
- But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
- Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
- And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
- They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
- And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
- But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
- Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Here we see the order in Heaven, the position of Jesus Christ in relation to the angels. Jesus who is the Son of God, begotten in the express image of the Father’s Person, versus created angels. The context of Hebrews 1 is twofold. One describes Christ’s glory before creation, and the other meaning is a description of Christ’s glory which He regained after His resurrection. Christ regained the same position He had earlier. The sixth verse speaks exclusively of Christ’s incarnation (see 16LtMs, Ms 151, 1901, par. 9), when God brought His Firstborn into the world. The sixth verse is continuation from the fifth, while in the fifth verse we see how God compared created angels with His begotten Son - the Son prior to His incarnation. In the sixth verse, again God calls angels to worship His Son, even though He became man - “a little lower than the angels”. In the verse nine, it is declared that the Father is God to His own Son, again indicating the order of Heaven. In the tenth verse the Father says to the Son: “Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands.” This refers to Christ’s position before the world was. In these texts we see that Christ’s position and His glory which He had with the Father has always been the same.
Christ’s position and relation towards the Father
There is an important place in the Gospel where Jesus explains His position and His relationship with God, which He had before the incarnation and which He will always have.
- But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
- Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
- Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
- For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
- For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
- For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
- That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
How can we know that Jesus is explaining His position with the Father, even before His incarnation? We see this in verse 26.
- For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
The life which is in the Father Himself, is not a human life. His life is the original, unborrowed and underived life. This life was given to His Son, so the Son also has original, unborrowed and underived life. Christ did not receive such life in His incarnation, but He had received it when He was begotten from all eternity
In this context, we see that Christ’s description of His relationship with the Father is what He had even before He became human. Evidence for this can be found in the text itself.
In verses 17 and 18, when the Jews accused Jesus of blasphemy because “he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God,” we see that Christ’s equality with the Father is based on His Sonship with the Father.
In the further description in verses 19 and 20, Christ describes His relationship with the Father before the incarnation. “for what things soever he [the Father] doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” Christ on Earth did not do everything that the Father in Heaven did, but in Heaven, the Son does everything the Father does. The Spirit of Prophecy further confirms this.
Jesus repelled the charge of blasphemy. My authority, He said, for doing the work of which you accuse Me, is that I am the Son of God, one with Him in nature, in will, and in purpose. In all His works of creation and providence, I co-operate with God. “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do.” DA 208.2
All his works of creation and providence
This is the work done in Heaven
Jesus declared that there was no necessity for him to accuse them to the Father, for Moses, whom they professed to believe, had already accused them. “For,” said he, “had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” Jesus knew that the Jews were determined to take his life, yet in this discourse he fully explained to them his Sonship, the relation he bore to the Father and his equality with him. 2SP 172.1
In Christ’s speech to the Jews in the fifth chapter of John, we see that He fully explained to them His Sonship, His relationship with the Father, and His equality with Him. This relationship has always been the same, both before and after the incarnation. Christ is equal to the Father because He is the Father’s only begotten Son.
Christ was equal to the Father even before the incarnation, because He was His Son in His image, in His form.
- Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
- Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Paul confirms that the Son was in God’s form and did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. The reason why the Son did not consider it robbery to be equal with God is the fact that the Son is truly equal to God. If the Son had not been equal to God, then Christ’s claim to equality with God would have been robbery or usurpation from God. The reason for Christ’s equality with God lies in the fact that Christ is God’s Son, begotten in the image of God.
Christ is next to God, equal to God, because God exalted Him to be equal with Him, gave Him His glory, and put all things under His feet. He did the same after the resurrection, placing Him in the same position He had before, at the right hand of God above all angels.
- Which he [the Father] wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
- Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
- And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
The order of Heaven is clear. Christ is next to God, equal to God, because the Father has put all things unto Him. God has made Christ the head of all angels, He has given Him to be the head over all things, but God is the head of Christ.
- But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
- …or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
- And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.
The reason why God is the head of Christ lies in the fact that Christ belongs to God, and that God is the one who possesses everything and has the power to give and subject everything to Christ. God the Father is the source of all things.
The divine order is unchangeable. It has always been the same, and will always remain the same.
The description of the divine order that will be after the end of the great controversy, we see in 1 Corinthians 15.
- Then cometh the end, when he [Christ] shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
- For he [Christ] must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his [Christ’s] feet.
- The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
- For he [the Father] hath put all things under his [Christ] feet. But when he [Father] saith, all things are put under him [Christ], it is manifest that he [Father] is excepted, which did put all things under him [under Christ].
- And when all things shall be subdued unto him [Christ], then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him [the Father] that put all things under him [the Father], that God may be all in all.
When it says “when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power,” it is talking about the rule, authority, and power of Satan and his rebellious angels. We see that Christ is putting Satan and his army under the footstool of the Father, and we see that the Father is also putting Satan under the feet of Christ. This tells us that at the end of the Great Controversy, the Father and the Son will stand together, and Satan and his army will kneel down at the feet of the Father and the Son, and will acknowledge the supremacy of Christ and the rightful reign of God’s government. After this, Christ will subject Himself to the Father, so that the Father may be God all in all. Thus, the initial order will be preserved.
It should be kept in mind that God is the head of Christ, as the Father is to the Son. Christ is equal with the Father because He is His Son, but at the same time He is subject to the Father as a Son.
This structure that we have studied was the Law in Heaven against which Satan rebelled, because he wanted to be equal with God. This Law is unchangeable! Today it is the same as it was when Satan rebelled, and that same order will remain so for all eternity.
How can we know the order of Heaven in the relationship with Satan? The Bible shows this in the Controversy between Satan and archangel Michael. Check out Order of Heaven - by Bible.
