Thursday, 19 March 2015
For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 1 Corinthians 15:25
The previous verse spoke of things to come concerning the rule of Christ; a rule which will continue until the kingdom is delivered “to God the Father.” This will be when all rule, authority, and power have been ended and there is only the kingdom of God which remains. In fact, “He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.”
There are at least two logical reasons why this must be so. The first is because it is morally proper for it to be this way. God created Adam and gave him free reign in the Garden of Eden, with but one prohibition. Adam disobeyed and plunged the world into sin. The devil’s rule began and with it there have been many lesser kingdoms which have sprung up in this fallen world. In order to return things to the way they were intended to be, all of these lesser kingdoms must be ended and the rule go back to one Man.
This is already accomplished in God’s mind, and it is revealed as accomplished in the pages of Scripture. Two pertinent verses of note from Revelation are –
“Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!'” Revelation 11:15
&
“The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Revelation 20:10
The kingdoms of the world will come to an end, and the devil who deceived man will be destroyed forever. It was morally proper for this to occur, and the Bible shows us that it will, in fact, come about.
The second reason that Christ “must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet” is because Scripture (based on the moral necessity of the matter) foretold that it would occur. It has done it throughout the Old Testament and it is confirmed in the New. Two parallel passages which highlight this are –
“The Lord said to my Lord,
‘Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.'” Psalm 110:1
&
“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.” Hebrews 10:12, 13
What is right and proper has been prophesied. As the Bible is the word of God, it cannot fail to come about. And therefore, Christ must rule until it does. We should have more surety in our hearts that Christ will accomplish these things than we do anything else.
Life application: In God’s mind, the battle is already won. He has revealed this truth to us for our comfort and reassurance during times of trouble and difficulty. Let us hold fast to the truth of Christ as an anchor for our souls.
Heavenly Father, when I look at the plan of redemption as You have laid it out in the Bible, I feel one hundred percent confident in my future. Scripture said Christ was coming; Scripture has shown He has come; and Scripture tells us of the rest of the plan which is future to us now. Because these words are from You, the part ahead cannot fail. And so I have all the assurance in the world that even if troubles come, the end for me is secure. Thank You for the confidence I possess because of the promises and guarantees written in Your word! Thank You for this superior word! Amen!