The worlds unfallen and the heavenly angels had watched with intense interest as the conflict drew to its close. Satan and his confederacy of evil, the legions of apostasy, watched intently this great crisis in the work of redemption. The powers of good and evil waited to see what answer would come to Christ's thrice-repeated prayer. Angels had longed to bring relief to the divine sufferer, but this might not be. No way of escape was found for the Son of God. In this awful crisis, when everything was at stake, when the mysterious cup trembled in the hand of the sufferer, the heavens opened, a light shone forth amid the stormy darkness of the crisis hour, and the mighty angel who stands in God's presence, occupying the position from which Satan fell, came to the side of Christ. The angel came not to take the cup from Christ's hand, but to strengthen Him to drink it, with the assurance of the Father's love. He came to give power to the divine-human suppliant. He pointed Him to the open heavens, telling Him of the souls that would be saved as the result of His sufferings. He assured Him that His Father is greater and more powerful than Satan, that His death would result in the utter discomfiture of Satan, and that the kingdom of this world would be given to the saints of the Most High. He told Him that He 694 would see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied, for He would see a multitude of the human race saved, eternally saved.

De syndfri verdener og de himmelske engle havde med den dybeste opmærksomhed set til, medens striden nærmede sig sin afslutning. Satan og hans medsammensvorne onde magter, de frafaldnes hærskarer, betragtede med spændt opmærksomhed dette skæbnesvangre vendepunkt inden for frelsesværket. Både de gode og de onde magter afventede, hvilket svar der ville lyde efter Kristi tre gange gentagne bøn. Engle havde higet efter at bringe lindring til den guddommelige lidende, men dette kunne ikke ske. Der fandtes ingen mulighed for Guds Søn til at undfly. Under denne frygtelige krise, hvor alt stod på spil, skinnede der et lys frem midt i den skæbnesvangre times mørke, og den mægtige engel, der står for Guds ansigt, og som har overtaget den plads, hvorfra Satan faldt, steg ned til Kristus. Engelen kom ikke for at tage kalken bort fra Kristus, men for at give ham kraft til at drikke den i forvisning om Faderens kærlighed. Han kom for at skænke kraft til den bedende, som på en gang var guddommelig og menneskelig. Han rettede hans opmærksomhed mod den åbne himmel, han fortalte om de sjæle, der ville blive frelst som følge af hans lidelser. Han forvissede ham om, at hans Fader var større og mægtigere end Satan, at hans død ville bevirke Satans fuldstændige nederlag, og at denne verdens riger skulle gives til den Allerhøjestes hellige. Han sagde ham, at han skulle se frugten af sin sjæls møje og glædes ved det, thi han skulle komme til at se mange af menneskeslægten frelses til evige tider.