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Hebrews, the second chapter.
Verse 5.
For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.
But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
Or the Son of Man, that thou visitest him, thou madest him a little lower than the angels.
Thou promised him with glory and honor, and it set him over the works of thy hand.
Allow us put all things in subjection under his feet, or in that he put all in subjection under him.
He left nothing that is not but under him, but now we see not yet all things put under him.
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death.
Frowned with glory and honor, that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man.
For it became Him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory.
To make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
For both he that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of one, for which 'cause he is not ashamed to call them.
Brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee, and again I will put my trust in him. And again, behold I and the children which God hath given me.
As much, then, as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same.
That through death he might destroy him. That had the power of death. That is the devil.
And deliver them, who through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to *******.
For verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
Or in that he for in that He himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.
The verses we had this morning.
The great part and subject was so great salvation, that great salvation and I believe verse five would introduce the one who is the author lead us on to the subject, the one who is the author and leader in that salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ and is brought before us.
The.
That salvation culminates in the glory in the world to come, and we see in the verses that follow how He has accomplished that salvation.
Through the work of the cross and is overcoming the power of the enemy and the way he is leading on in that salvation and leading us through the wilderness, conducting us on to the glory, and it culminates in the world to come that he mentions in verse 5.
The world to come. That's the time when.
The salvation will be on display, as it were. It will be.
There will be a public demonstration of what God has accomplished through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, a public display of that. We know that the the world in which we are living now is described as this present evil world in Galatians 1. And so it is that the world filled with evil and opposition to God.
And.
A hostile scene to the large people. It's not only that there is a great immorality, but what really characterizes this world as being evil is its opposition to to God and to Christ. He has been turned out of it. And this world to come is that world in which everything is of God and God's will is supreme, and where the Lord Jesus is the center.
Well, that's what's introduced here is that.
That world which is to come, and I might mention that in Scripture we have.
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Three worlds brought out.
In Two Peter 3.
We read of the world that then was being overflowed with a flood, perished The world that then was, that was the world before the flood. And that world has been, has perished, has been completely lost. And a new world began, as it were, with Noah and his sons, and that's the world in which we are living now.
And that world began after the flood, and it's it's the present evil world.
But here we have the world to come, the world of which the Lord Jesus is the center.
And where everything is of God, and this is the world.
That we are to be occupied with, he says. This is the world whereof we speak.
Of course we know that being in this present evil world, we would be conversant with what is going on. We know that that when the Lord was here, He was aware of current events in His day, the tower of Siloam that fell upon those men, and so forth. And we are conversant.
With what is going on in this present world, but the that which.
Is of interest to us. Is not this present evil world only God's work in it is that which we would find a real interest and delight in And what God is working in this world? Because you know, when the Lord Jesus was here, he said that that he had to work the works of him that sent me. Because the night cometh and no man worketh. And he could say my Father worketh hitherto and I were, and now he is going back to the glory.
The work of God going on in this world and that is of interest to the Saints. It should be.
But as to the world itself, this present evil world, it isn't really a subject of interest to the child of God. It isn't that which occupies his thoughts and his pursuits and his conversation. But the world to come is that whereof we speak.
And it doesn't only involve the salvation.
Of people because in that end of the ninth verse it says should taste death for everything. So there's going to be a complete change, isn't there, that work on the cross.
Includes salvation of the soul of people, but it also is going to mean a transformation of the whole world. A wonderful display of the power and grace of God, isn't it? And I was thinking, what a contrast.
As we look about in this world today and the conditions that exist and have existed ever since.
The this world began and what a contrast in the world to come, where the power and the grace and the glory of God is in in full demonstration.
In April 6 two. In Hebrew six, it says that those signed gifts had to do with the.
World to come, it says the powers of the age to come. And so that's why they were given, to show that this blessed One who came down and took that place of humiliation is the one who will occupy that glorious place and will have his rightful place in that day. Those signs that introduced it showed that the blessing was not going to be limited to one nation.
But in heaven there will be some from every kindred and tongue and people and nation.
And then that blessing will take place upon the earth, and then to the whole Lord creation. As our brother remark, we have that in the 8th chapter of Romans, where it tells us that the whole creation is groaning. Even the creature itself is suffering under the results of the fall of the first man, and they've been subjected to the results of that and live a vain life.
But in that coming day, when the Lord Jesus has his rightful place.
Now then, the blessing will spread out through the whole earth. The heavenly Saints will be gathered from every kindred and tongue and people and nation.
And as we have in Ephesians one and 10 in the dispensation of the fullness of times.
He will gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven.
And which are on earth even in him. I think if we see this, then we understand even the necessity of those signs to show that this one was the person who's going to bring this all about. It's not going to be like when the law was given, it was given by the dispensation of angels, and angels played a great part in connection with the Old Testament economy.
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But isn't it blessed that in Christianity it's a man?
The Lord Jesus as man who is going to occupy that place. Adam as the first man was placed over the creation and everything fell into ruin.
Sin came in the Lord, creation had to suffer. The Tower of Babel brought in all the various languages. But there's a second man, there's the last Adam, and through him everything is going to be set right, and he is bringing into association with himself redeemed men.
And what a place to think the Lord passed by angels, came down and became a man, has gone up on high, taking the place above the angels, and has associated with himself those who will be occupied in relationship with himself in that place.
What a glorious truth is opened up to us here. Couldn't we say that this great salvation too?
One of the reasons you're Speaking of is a great salvation, that it really goes even beyond the salvation of our souls and takes in that.
That great deliverance that God is going to affect for the whole creation and that's we want to have our thoughts enlarged to think that that God is going to demonstrate in that world to come the his great power and glory that to deliver not only individuals, but as we've been bringing out the this lower creation, everything brought into blessing through the.
Grace and goodness of God. So it's a great salvation.
Well, definitely worried that I had within in the Gospel of John chapter 12 in connection with the judgment of this evil world that was already pronounced by the Lord Jesus before when he went to the cross. I like to read that verse. It's in chapter 12 is what it says there.
Season verse 31 of the 12Th chapter, he says now is the judgment of this world, nor shall the Prince of this world be cast out. And of course, the judgment has been already pronounced, and the only thing we're waiting for is for the execution of the judgment of the civil world, isn't it?
And then I couldn't just say, no, you're not that you're going to rain.
We're going to reign with Christ, and don't we? What a place he has given us is not the place of the Angel any longer, but he's going to be Christ and we associated with Him. What a glory, what a privilege in Second Timothy say if we suffer with them, we shall also reign with them.
That's the place that we're going to have.
Would someone speak a bit about that?
5th verse.
For under the angels hath he not put in subjection.
The world to come.
Would it be in connection with what we have in First Corinthians chapter six? First Corinthians chapter 6?
Says in the.
Second verse. Do you not know that the Saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more the things that pertain to this life?
So we know that, as we remark, the law was given by the dispensation of angels, and God communicated much through angels through the Old Testament in communicating his mind.
But now in Christianity, because the Lord Jesus became a man and has taken his place as man at the right hand of God, therefore man has been lifted above the angels, that is in association with Christ, and so when the Kingdom is set up.
If you turn over also to Hebrews chapter 12.
Hebrews chapter 12. I'd just like to read this as it is in the new translation because I think it makes it a little clearer.
Hebrews 12 and verse 22 But ye have come to Mount Zion.
And to the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem, And to myriads of angels the universal gathering. And to the assembly of the first born who are registered in heaven. And to God, the Judge of all. And to the spirits of just man made perfect. What I particularly wish to call attention to was, and to myriads of angels, the universal gathering.
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And if you turn over to Revelation in chapters four and five, you see that the ones who occupy the nearest place to the throne.
In the coming day are not the angels now they are there ministering spirits sent forth to minister to them, who shall be heirs of salvation. But when the Saints are gathered to glory, as they, as the redeemed, will occupy the nearest place to the throne, the angels, so to speak, will not have that place. They will be gathered in, and the government of the earth will be in the hands of man. And so the Lord said when he spoke.
Rewards in the coming day Be thou over 5 cities. Be thou over 10 cities.
What a marvelous thing it is. It hasn't been placed in the hand of angels to govern. Now they are occupying a certain place, not exactly the same place as in the Old Testament, because God is showing through the church the manifold wisdom of God.
But they're going to be gathered in and replaced, if I can use that expression, by men who will be in the place over angels, judging angels in that sense, and having a higher place in the government of the world to come than even the angels.
It was God's thought in the beginning, wasn't it, when man was placed in the garden?
That he would be over this lower creation, and that he would.
Administer everything here for the glory of God and for the pleasure of God.
And we know that the man failed the 1St man. And the world that we find around us today is the world of the first man. But the world to come is the world of the 2nd man. And he's going to fulfill all that was in the heart of God in the thought of God that God had in setting up the 1St man. We know that when the 1St man was set up.
That God really had in mind Christ, and He is going to fulfill all of the thoughts of God.
So angels were not given the administration of this earth, were they? They? It was to Adam that he was. The headship was given over this lower creation, and now the Lord Jesus is going to fulfill it. It's wonderful to see in Scripture that none of the thoughts of God are ever lost. That is what God had in His mind.
And creation and all of his purposes.
Even though the man has been tested in regard to them and there was a time when a man had a responsibility in seeking to carry them out and he has failed, they're all going to be fulfilled and realized in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so this thought of the universal dominion of man is going to be realized in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as our brother was saying, we're going to share that with him and even.
Angels will be in subjection to the Saints. I believe in Revelation 21 where we have the.
The Church under the figure of a city reigning with Christ in that millennial glory. We see that the angels are are, you might say, messengers, that they're subject to the Saints. And in that sense we will judge angels. They will be those who will carry out the administrative orders, you might say, of the Saints reigning with Christ.
But we don't find angels.
Carrying out spiritual.
Work do we? I was thinking of in Acts chapter 8 when Philip was sent.
To to meet the Ethiopian, it says that, and the Angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise and go toward the South, under the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza. But then when the spiritual work started, the 29th verse, then the Spirit said unto Philip.
Go near and join thyself to this chariot. And so on South, we don't find the angels carrying out spiritual work so much as the physical work doing.
We see, however, that the angels no doubt would enjoy the happier occupation of bringing before the Saints pleasant things rather than carrying out judicial things. What I mentioned in that regard is in Revelation 21.
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In verse nine it says, And there came unto me one of the seven angels, which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues. Well, you would think by such an occupation.
That that Angel would be very firm and hard hearted. Back in Deuteronomy it says fear thou, him and so forth. But here we see that this very same Angel has the of presenting the bride, the Lamb's wife. He would much rather do that, I'm sure, than pour out those vials, those bowls of judgment.
In Ephesians chapter three in the ninth verse.
Well, I could begin at the eighth verse unto me who am less than the least of All Saints. Is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all the word man is in italics here. It's all intelligences, really. And to make all see what is the administration of the mystery which from the beginning of the world has been hitting God, who created.
By Jesus Christ to the intent, that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places.
Might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God. It also says in Peter.
It says which things the angels desire to look into. And So what are the angels doing now?
Why, they're looking down and seeing a redeemed man like Paul, once an enemy of Christ, once those who persecuted for once a man who persecuted those who called upon his name. Now he is the one who is telling out this wonderful truth that God has found delight in man and that he is going to gather out of this scene a bride for Christ. And as man, he will have that bride.
And the angels looked down and see the administration of this mystery here in this world. They had no part in the proclamation of it. They did at the time the law was given. It was given by the dispensation of angels. But now they see a man who is used of God to unfold this wonderful mystery, and to see God doing this great work. Well, it ought to touch our hearts. Brethren, what is man? Frail man?
Who once rose in rebellion against God to think that God has now become a man in the person of Christ, and has taken his place above the angels and associated redeemed men to be in association with Him. And as we have further on in this second chapter of Hebrews, he is not ashamed to call us brethren. And when it says that we're all of one, it's not the thought they're in.
Hebrews 2 That we're one in the fact of being members in the body of Christ.
But rather the thought of being one in kind, that is, there's a man in the glory, and he wears our nature upon the throne. That is a holy man, one who has that glorified body that he took in resurrection. And to we're going to be associated with him. And now he is there as a man. We're going to be there with him, having his very life and nature.
To enjoy that well, what a what a marvelous place he's bringing this before us in this chapter. And so I say it's not only that we're one that's being united to one another into Christ ahead in the body of Christ, but there's a man in the glory and we're men redeem man to be brought into that place of association with him as men.
Hear the thought of man, is it not? What is man?
Here it's man according to the purpose of God, what God purposed in man it's and God's purpose was that he should be in this place of, of administrative power and authority and head over everything. Here below, it's man according to God's purpose and the Lord Jesus fulfills that.
Now, Joe, we have the expression. Job makes the expression what is man and that God would take an account of him. But there the thought is of man as a weak creature. It's not, it's not man according to the purpose of God, but it's man in his weakness as a Marvel creature here in this scene.
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And then again in Psalm 144, I believe it is.
Again, the expression is found, what is man that thou hast taken account of him. And there I believe it's the thought is that God is going to fulfill all of his purposes. He's going to accomplish everything that he has undertaken to do. And what is man to stand in the way that his man cannot in any way interfere with what God is going to do. So there are various ways in which we can look at man. We can look at man as a as a marvel.
Creature as he is, and that's the view that Job speaks of. Or we can look at man as in opposition to God and we know he is he has his own thoughts and he's opposed to God. But what is man to stand in the way of God's movements? He's going to accomplish all that he purposes. But here we have man not in those ways, but we have man according to God's purpose, what God's purpose was in in.
Having man and his purpose was that man should have universal dominion.
And the Lord Jesus is the one who fulfills that purpose.
I really have never been clear on this myself. The quotation here is from the 8th of Psalms, a literal quotation.
I have heard some expressions here. What is man?
As referring to created man or the Son of man as referring to Christ.
My own after the progeny or the offspring of created men and God visiting in grace. Is that a right thought that the Son of man is not Christ here, but the mankind itself?
Yes. Oh well, I believe it's the it's man according to the fault and concept of God. That is what God had in mind in regard to man. That is the very thought when God thought of man, he had Christ in view.
What is man? I believe this has been answered, but the next question or the Son of Man?
Some have.
Put this forth as being no Christ, the Son of man visiting, but would it not be the mankind in general?
What is, what is man is, what is his offspring, shall we say? Well, I would take it that way. I don't think here is necessarily the official title, you might say, of Christ is the Son of man.
We know, of course, that He takes that place as the Son of man. He takes it in grace because he undertakes the the cause of man.
And he undertakes to fulfill all that God had purposed in man. And in that sense, I believe we can speak of him as the Son of man. He becomes a man in order to not only bring man into blessing, but to answer to God for all that, all that.
Man.
Should be all that God desired in man, yeah.
In the Gospel of Matthew, oftentimes he brought to the Lord Jesus presents himself as the son of a man, whether for blessing or for judgment. For NCC, for the son of a man, he's come to seek and to save that which was lost. And in the 25 chapter of Matthew says when the Son of man shall come, and then he's going to come in judgment and make a separation between the ghost and the sheep. And oftentimes we read the title, the title that he takes.
As the son of man, and I would apply to him that is the scientist that belongs to him and to him alone.
Well, I suppose man would be the, you might say the generic fault, but Son of Man is more representative, isn't it?
Ezekiel is spoken of as the Son of Man. He's called the Son of Man.
I just suggest this thought in connection with it, that when it says what is man, that thou art mindful of him?
It is, as our brother said, man in the purposes of God. But when we look at Adam himself as a man, he was created for that particular purpose, to have dominion, but we know that he failed utterly and brought in the ruin of the whole creation. And so it's through the Son of man that is, that's the Lord Jesus. If it said what is man? Well, why should God have any delight in man when in the representation of.
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Everything failed and broke down, but the Lord Jesus is the Son of man.
He is the one who was born a man into this world, and as we have in First Corinthians 15, the 2nd man is the Lord from heaven.
So the Son of Man will not look at here as an official title is really that which connects with the Lord Jesus.
He wasn't the 1St man, because man was the one placed in that position who broke down. But the Son of Man, the promised seed, is the one through whom all the purposes of God. Originally He had these purposes, but it's the Son of Man who brings in the fulfillment of these purposes.
And he was made a little lower than the angels. Now that's the place that Adam occupied.
Because angels were of a higher order in creation, it tells us that angels are greater in power and might. This is mentioned in the in Jude and so here. This one who was to fulfill these purposes of God took a place lower than the angels.
So when he is saying, what is man? Why, why should God have delight in man? Well, he had a man, the Son of man, the one who would fulfill his purposes. And he takes the place down lower than the angels. And then because of who he is, but he's God and man, he rises and takes a place at both.
The angels and that blessed man is God's man, the man of his counsels, the man of his purposes who will fulfill all his will.
That I think is would fit in with what you were saying. The thought of sees me, the thought of the Son of man is representation. He, he takes that place as man and he represents man as God, as God looks upon his beloved Son and as a man he sees in him all that God desired in man. And so he really man is represented before God in Christ.
And I think that's a wonderful thought because when we look at man.
In the flesh, the 1St man. What a terrible sight we see.
And how Scripture presents him. And we know from experience what man in the flesh is.
But as God thinks of man, he sees man represented in Christ, and one that is.
In whom he can take delight. And so I believe that's what this passage is really bringing before us. It's not the first man and man in the flesh, but it's the second man, the Lord out of heaven, our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Son of man and represents man before God. And so he, he's going to fulfill all that God has.
And his purposes for man.
Beautiful to connect this with in the Lord in exaltation in Psalm 80 and verse 17.
Psalm 80 In verse 17, let thy right hand be upon.
The man of thy right hand upon the Son of man, whom thou madest strong for thyself.
Well, if he were going to be the representative man, if he were going to represent man, he would have to, he would have to not only become man, but to take on him the liabilities that lay against man. And this is brought out in this chapter 2. Isn't it how that he takes upon himself those liabilities, sins that which we were guilty?
But I like to to to think of the that God can take delight and pleasure in man now.
But it's only in connection with Christ. This is the second man, and he finds his delight in him as man and in the Saints is associated with him.
Just like that one little comment in connection with the title of Son of Man. We get this in the Gospel of Luke where we have grace reaching out beyond the bounds of Israel. As to Israel, he was the son of David. And so there was that blessing that God had purposed toward them as a nation, but God didn't intend to confine the blessing to that one nation. And the title of Son of Man could include not only the nation.
Israel. But we who don't belong to that nation are not part of it. We are men. And so that title the Lord takes is not only in connection with the place that He is the man of God's counsels and that He will execute judgment, but it brings in the thought, and this is quite often introduced in the Scripture. It brings in the thought of the largeness of God's purposes to reach out beyond the nation of Israel.
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And to save from every kindred and tongue and people and nation.
And so that the whole thought, in fact, this brings in what we were talking about before about tongues that came in because ruin and failure. But all that is going to disappear. God has through that which He was doing on the day of Pentecost was introducing this new thing. And now this blessed One is not presented here as the Son of David, but as the Son of man. For it's mankind that is the thought in being brought into.
I just mentioned this because it's interesting to see the Lord taking that title.
When we see the rejection of Israel, He takes that new title in regard to the blessing of the Gentiles.
Notice in chapter 3 while we're looking at that and John, that in verse eight he says the wind bloweth where it listed thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the spirit. That's a much broader thought. You see, that could take in all that's not just confined to a certain nation, but there it's brought in its thoughts. So is everyone that.
Of the Spirit, those angels you know, here we speak of His being made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death. Those angels were in such a superior position, and yet we see that at the birth of the Lord Jesus, they proclaim such joy, and they speak of glory to God on high, peace on earth, goodwill toward man. There's not a trace of jealousy.
In those beings. And that's something that's so good to get a hold of for our own hearts because.
We see that the Apostle had to bring that before the Corinthians in a practical way as to the body of Christ, how that God hath placed every member in the body, as it hath pleased him. And so where is there a place for a rival spirit, or jealousies? You see, we see with the angelic beings no trace of jealousy should there be in the body of Christ. Well, it's something to exercise our hearts.
These purposes have not yet been fulfilled.
And as we would go on, not to get ahead of ourselves, but in the latter part of this chapter, we're reminded that while we have such a wonderful prospect of the world to come before us and the elements of those worlds, of that world we, you might say we have, we can enter into now by faith and enjoy in our souls.
But we see not yet. It says in the verse in the verse 8.
Not yet all things put under him and I was thinking of a verse in the 10th chapter.
Where we exhorted there to cast, not away our confidence, which has great recompense of reward. And one would encourage the Saints in this, that while these things have not yet been fulfilled, we know that God is very soon going to bring this world into evidence. He's going to bring it up. He's going to be brought into existence. All right.
Or really, I shouldn't say existence. It's already exists. The Lord Jesus is already in the glory.
And it's about to be revealed, but it's going to be brought to pass and we don't want to castaway our confidence.
We have it has great recompense of reward and I believe that the apostle would bring these things out to to encourage these Hebrews that even though there may be a certain amount of suffering and trial at the present time being in a world that's opposed to God and it is a hostile world through which we pass and yet.
This world is is going to be brought in very shortly.
And we had a great recompense of reward. We see not yet all things put under him, but the Lord Jesus is already in that place. You might say that God has already.
Initiated this world to come. He's already started out. He's already initiated it because he has the man who is the center of it already in the glory. And we know when God began the first creation.
That he created the heavens and the earth, and then when the.
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Earth was without form and void. He made it over for man's habitation, and on the 6th day he made man.
In other words, He began with the creation of heaven and earth, and that worked terminates with the creation of man. But in the world to come, He starts with the man, He starts with the Lord Jesus the 2nd man, and it's going to culminate in the new heavens and the new earth. Of course, we know that the world to come, properly speaking, is the Millennium, but it goes on.
And culminates in that new heavens and new earth.
Where indwelleth righteousness, so God is already set things in order, set things in motion. I believe when the Lord Jesus went up into the glory at the right hand of the majesty on high, you might say that the machinery was set in motion to bring in this world to come. We have in the 28th chapter of Matthew, when the Lord Jesus appears to his own, He says it says that some doubted that his answer was.
All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Then we find again the Apostle Paul Speaking of this in Ephesians chapter one.
Telling us that the Lord Jesus has taken that place above all principality and power and might and dominion, and that he has had over all things to the Church which is his body. Then when encouraging the believers to take their place in identification with this rejected one in Peters epistle, he tells them that this one to whom they would be baptized.
Is head of all principality there it says angels and authorities and powers are made subject unto him.
Thought out to be, brethren, a present comfort to us, that while the Lord Jesus hasn't yet openly taken that place, He is in control. There is no power, there is nothing can happen in this whole universe but what He allows it. And although He hasn't openly taken the place of interfering, nevertheless, greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. And He has all power.
And so that nothing happens but what he allows it.
But we await the time when the Father says to the Son, Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. That time is yet to come. That is what is referred to here, when it says, we see not yet all things put under Him.
But I just mentioned the other because let us not be discouraged, although he hasn't taken that place openly.
He is in control and there's not a thing that moves in this universe that is not under His control. And more than this, He has a special care for His own. That verse is so beautiful. Head over all things to the church, which is His body. And if we have any doubts about the troubles and trials of our pathway, how comforting the Lord's message to those whom He met after His resurrection to tell them all.
Is given unto me in heaven and in earth. This ought to comfort us, and in his time.
He's going to interfere. I've enjoyed this thought in Revelation.
Chapter 3.
That in connection with the Philadelphian testimony in verse seven, that I believe the Lord has given a little sample of the power of the world to come.
He says.
These things, saith He.
That is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David.
He that openeth, and no man shutteth.
And no man opened it.
Well, that he of David, I believe from his quotation, is a millennial expression.
And so he says in verse eight, I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it, for thou hast it should be worded, I believe, a little power. I believe it's just the thought of a little power, a little sample of that power of the world to come. Thou hast a little power and has kept my word and has not denied my name. Something to think about.
The leading feature of that world to come is everything brought into subjection to God.
And I believe it's true that.
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At the present time.
The angels would be learning the manifold wisdom of God.
And in one way in which the wisdom of God is displayed is.
In bringing everything into objection to Christ, you know man has.
Tried all forms of government in trying to.
Bringing the world into order and to bring in the prosperity and peace.
And all have been a failure. But God's ardor is to bring everything into subjection to Christ.
And then there will be peace, then there will be prosperity. Well, that's true in the assembly now.
Among the Saints of God, that is, the basis for peace and joy among the Saints is in subjection to Christ as head and when the the angels observe. This should be a lesson book for the angels as they observe the Saints going on together in subjection to Christ and subjection to God and His will.
Why? There is peace and there is joy. We read in the Romans 14 that the Kingdom of God is righteousness.
A peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, so that the features of the world to come.
Are to be found among the Saints even today in subjection to Christ, God is.
Demonstrating to the angels how He can bring in that righteousness, peace and joy. And it's in subjection to Christ.
But I was thinking also too in the these expressions.
End of verse eight and the beginning of verse 9. But now we see not yet all things, but in verse 9.
But we see Jesus.
Well, we know that.
You might say the first seeing at the end of verse 8 is what we see with our physical eyes as we look about us. We do not see all things in subjection to Christ, just the opposite. But the second seeing in verse 9 is what we see by faith. We don't see this with our eyes, but we see Jesus by faith and.
I was just thinking of a little word of encouragement of the Saints that these.
This second in verse nine is is really what we want to be looking at.
The world to come is what we want to speak about and Jesus now crowned with glory and honor.
As the center of that world is what we want to see. Now of course that doesn't mean we're not we're going to close our eyes to everything round about. We have our we have our duties in this world. We have our responsibilities. We have our lives to live here in this scene. And of course we see physically, we see things, we know what's going on. But if this is all we see.
Then we are. We're going to become discouraged. We're going to become disheartened.
And we're in danger of slipping away like these Hebrews.
And that's why he wants to encourage them to have their eyes set on the Lord Jesus in the glory and and to be conversant with the world to come occupied with these things because there is nothing in this world that will help us along in our pathway. Everything here tends to to make us earthly minded. Everything here tends to occupy us with the things of this world which are all passing away. And so we need.
To not only see that all things are not subject to Him now, but to look up and see the One crowned with glory and honor.
Saying that, we have before us in our portion here the purpose of God in connection with man. He created man to be in that place of headship, but He also created him to be in a place of submission under the hand of God who had put him in that position. And so who could fulfill that?
Position. Well, God himself becomes a man and the person of Christ.
And the Lord Jesus comes down, and he completely turns about all the ruin and everything that has been brought about through sin.
And so, as it tells us, he reigns until all enemies are put under his feet.
Well, death was brought in, we know, by Adam sin. And so the Lord Jesus reigns until everything has been brought into the into the order that is according to the mind of God. Shall I say what he intended? Man in headship, in which the 1St man Adam utterly failed. Who could accomplish these purposes? Why man couldn't the 1St man, and the only man who could was the one who is God as well as man.
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And I enjoy that thought myself, that the Lord Jesus does all this.
And forever occupies the place of man, because that was in the purpose of God.
And God is never frustrated or unable to accomplish all that. He has purpose.
He most certainly will. So the one who is the head for all eternity occupies the place that is proper to man.
And that is the place of subjection. But he is also God. And so when it says here God is All in all.
It isn't the Father merely here, but it's the whole Trinity that is brought before us who could accomplish the purposes of God, Not a creature by himself at all. So the Father had these councils and purposes. The only one who could carry them out was His Son, and the only way they could be carried out was for His Son to become a man.
And he has undone the works of the devil. He has restored that which he took not away.
He has brought everything into order according to the mind and purposes of God. But that purpose is that a man should be the head. So the Father has counseled this. The one who is the head is God and also man, and the power is the Spirit of God. And so God is All in all. And there will be that eternal scene where God is supreme, where His purposes have been.
Accomplished, and they have been accomplished by one of the persons of the Godhead, who has become a man, who is God and also man.
Who for all eternity fills the place of God as well as man in perfection. And thus all the counsels of God are fulfilled. And so a glorious scene is really opened up. The Millennium in that sense becomes the introduction to the eternal state where everything is brought into order. And finally, at the great White throne, death itself is destroyed. And so that this blessed One who takes.
Of that new scene in heaven on earth is God the Son, and God is now All in all, be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. And so his posterity, alas, as we know, was like himself, Adam begat his Son in his own image and likeness. But we have been brought into this new position by the 2nd man. And so it says, the new man is created in righteousness and true holiness.
And so there is going to be a company of mankind associated with this blessed One, that one who has been fruitful and through that mighty work of redemption is going to bring many sons home to glory. And there are going to be those who will share in that blessedness. Never be part of Deity, but share in the blessedness of the One who is in that position of headship. And that is what is opened up for.
Now as the captain of our salvation brethren, he's bringing us there for that glorious future. What a what a blessed thing has opened up to us in this chapter when Lord Jesus, and it's so lovely to me that he takes that place. We see Jesus doesn't say the Lord Jesus, but that lowly name that he took here as man. We see him as the center of all this, the captain, the one who's going to bring it all about.
It's that name and it's singular sense, isn't it, for our affections, Jesus.
The one that became a man. You have the same in the 12Th chapter, don't you? It brings us to him, to Jesus the mediator and so forth. That's really lovely to get ahold of for our souls. I think it's important to do as our brother Barry pointed out earlier, that this in verse nine, his sufferings on the cross indicated in the tasting of death.
It should read for all things.
Not merely every man that of course it extends to man would be thankful for that, but for all things, and I think this would connect with the.
Colossians, Chapter One.
The first chapter of Colossians and verse 20.
And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him, I say, whether there be things on earth or things in heaven. So this reconciliation, as a result reconciliation would be the bringing in of conditions, not only as far as man is concerned, but the whole created scene, conditions that are pleasurable.
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To God it will be nothing, that nothing in which God cannot take pleasure, all things reconciled unto Himself.
Whether it be in earth or in heaven as a result of the work, but in verse 21 of that Colossians one and you that were sometimes alienated in enemies in your mind by wicked works. Yet now hath he reconciled? Well, as far as things are concerned, it's future, isn't it? As far as the Saints are concerned, we are reconciled now we are those who are brought into the the blessing that is going to be enjoyed.
Universally in the coming day, we we can enjoy it now he's tasted death for all things, not only us to reconcile us, but as far as the things in heaven and earth, everything brought into to a conformity to God and everything for his pleasure.
This comment because I think it's important for us to realize that when it speaks about bowing the knee in Philippians chapter 2, there's another sphere that is brought in there. It says that every knee should bow things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth. That is all will have to bow them. Eve, Satan and all his hosts, the lost, those who have rejected this grace of God.
We'll all have to bow the knee and we'll never be reconciled. I say this because there is a teaching that everything finally will be reconciled. Yes, all things in heaven and earth, but not things under the earth. And it's a very, very solemn and awful picture that is brought before us that because God is a holy God and that there's only one possible way that the question of sin could be settled.
And that is through the work of His blessed Son upon the cross, that those who have rejected or despised that word will not share in that blessed scene that is to be brought in. There is no possibility of reconciliation in any other way but through the death and blood shedding of the Lord Jesus Christ. If there's anyone here this afternoon who is not saved, what a solemn warning. All His blessedness that is going to be brought in.
By this one Jesus Jehovah the Savior, the one who took that lowly place and tasted death for everything, opened up the way of blessing for the whole creation and all mankind, For the blood is on the mercy seat for whosoever will.
To think that there might be some here who are despising that grace and who will not share in that coming scene of glory.
For there will be no reconciliation of the loss in the eternal state, only of things in heaven and things in earth, brought into the mind and character of God, and blessed according to his own heart, but founded upon redemptions. Work. The Lord Jesus made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, and he tasted death, that we might never have to taste it, in the ninth verse.
There we have the.
The tasting of death is his death on the cross.
Suffering for others in atonement and to.
But in verse 10 it became Him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
At least I've taken it this way, and perhaps you might correct me if I'm wrong, Brother Hayhoe, but I've taken it that here it's his sufferings, not just in the way of atonement, but it was a pathway of suffering. It was becoming that to God the Father that the Lord Jesus should go through that pathway of suffering.
That he might be that leader.
Of our salvation because we are passing through a scene where the Saints suffer. We are passing through a scene that is.
Under Satan's power and departed from God, and he passed through the same scene before he went into the glory.
He passed through this scene and it was sufferings for him all along the way. We escaped sufferings often because of our unfaithfulness, but for him it was sufferings all the way because he was obedient. He learned obedience by the things that he suffered as he was obedient to God. It brought into his pathway sufferings all along the way. Well, that's the that's the pathway through which he's really leading us, isn't it? A pathway of.
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Of glory at the end, but its sufferings on the way.
I have enjoyed that thought because.
It's wonderful to think, you know, a captain in an army might order his men into an engagement and he doesn't understand what the men are going to have to face. It may be much more difficult for them than he had expected. But isn't it wonderful that if we are called upon to walk in a difficult path, and if there's trial and suffering connected with following Christ, the captain has been in all those things ahead of us, and he'll never order us into an engagement that he doesn't?
Just exactly what we're going to have to meet. He has already been through that storm himself, and as you say, it's not the atoning sufferings in view here. He was alone in that. We have no partners share in that alone He bore the cross, but in His blessed pathway that all of these suffered at the hands of man. He has gone through that in order that He can be a merciful and faithful High Priest and the Captain of our salvation.
In that he passed through all these things before us. What a blessed comfort we have in this.
So everything is taken up in this chapter to show us how completely this blessed One has glorified God, has met our need not only for eternity, but for the whole pathway. Believe it means that He learned what obedience cost. And so in the pathway of the Lord Jesus, there was no question. He always found His delight and joy in doing His Father's will.
But when he wouldn't turn stones into bread when he was hungry?
He still suffered hunger. His obedience didn't remove that suffering, but he still continued to suffer.
And so in his whole pathway, he has marked out the path, but he also knows what obedience costs.
And in that way He was made perfect through suffering. In that way He knows the cost of obedience. Up there in the glory He was ever the Father's delight. There was no suffering in that glorious scene. But He came down here. He knows now what obedience cost. And He has done that pathway, walked it perfectly, and has gone up on high.
And more than this, He has not only fitted us for the glory, but He he can, as we had in Hebrews 4, He supplies all the strength that we need.
For every step in the pathway, yes, we can look at the cross.
In two ways, In that sense, we can look at the cross as a vicarious work of atonement, but we can also look at it as being an act of obedience on the part of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. There is not bringing out so much of the cross is putting away our sins, but across the cross as the expression of the extent to which is.
Sufferings to which His obedience took Him. His obedience took Him to sufferings, even to the point of suffering there on the cross. But He was obedient that took Him there. Of course, He before He was became mad, before the Word became flesh, He was not in circumstances that required obedience, but when He became a man. We know that the place that belongs to man is to be obedient and He fulfilled.
Quickly. And so it was a new, you might say a new circumstance for him. He had never been in circumstances that required obedience, but he fulfilled it perfectly, even though it cost great sufferings. And it's remarkable that that in our verse here that this is the way that we are being LED.
We're being LED along the same way at the captain. He has gone that way and now he's leading us and his.
Desire is that we would, as it were.
Be as he was, that is to be obedient, even though it it is a pathway of suffering.