THE APOSTLE OF THE RECONCILIATION

There is no word for `cometh' in the original of verse 24. It simply reads `Then the end'. Some understand the

words to mean `Then the end rank', but we can find no justification for such a rendering. Cremer, in his note on

to telos, says that this word does not primarily denote the end, termination, with reference to time, but the goal

reached, the completion or conclusion at which anything arrives, either as issue or ending; or as a result, acme,

consummation, e.g., polemon telos, `victory' (literally `the end of war', end, not measuring time but object); telos

andros, `the full age of man' (not the end of man - death), also of the `ripening of seed'. In Luke 1:33 and Mark 3:26

the idea of termination seems uppermost. The idea of issue, end, conclusion, is seen in Matthew 26:58, `To see the

end'; James 5:11, `Ye have seen the end of the Lord'; 1 Peter 4:17, `What shall the end be of them that obey not the

The idea of a goal reached is seen in Romans 6:21, `The end of those things is death'; Philippians 3:19, `Whose

end is destruction'. So also 2 Corinthians 11:15; Hebrews 6:8. When the apostle wrote the words of 1 Corinthians

15:24, `Then the end', what goal had he in view? What is the object of resurrection? Does it not take man back into

the place intended for him in the Divine purpose, for which sin and death had for a while rendered him unfit? The

goal, this end in view, is contained in the words of 1 Corinthians 15:28, `That God may be all in all'. Although `the

end' is mentioned immediately after the resurrection of those that are Christ's at His parousia, it is not attained

without a reign of righteousness and a rule of iron. The uninterrupted statement of the end is as follows:

`Then the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father ... with the object that God

may be all in all' (Author's translation).

The reader is aware, however, that the end is not attained in this unbroken sequence. The first `When' is

conditional upon the second, `When He shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power'. This will not be

effected by one grand miraculous stroke, but by the reign of Christ as king, `For He must reign till He hath put all

enemies under His feet'. He reigns `till', His reign has one supreme `end', and that end cannot be reached while one

unsubdued enemy exists.

In this category comes death, the last enemy of mortal man. `Even death, the last enemy, shall be abolished'.

This is included in the Divine purpose, `For He hath put all things under His feet'. The resurrection therefore is

absolutely essential to the fulfilment of the great purpose of God.

But it may be asked, can such an expression as `destroyed' or `abolished' speak of resurrection? Take the

statement of 2 Timothy 1:10 :

`But now is made manifest by the manifestation of our Saviour Jesus Christ, Who abolished (katargeo) death,

and illuminated life and incorruptibility through the gospel' (Author's translation).

This refers to the Lord Himself, in the first instance. He abolished death when He arose from the dead. Not only

did He abolish death, but He commenced that destruction of all rule and power which He will carry through when

He sits upon the throne of His glory:

`... that through death He might destroy (katargeo) him that had the power of death, that is, the devil' (Heb.

Other passages illustrating the meaning of katargeo (`put down', `destroyed' 1 Cor. 15:24-26) are Romans 6:6;

1 Corinthians 2:6; 1 Corinthians 13:11; 2 Corinthians 3:7; Ephesians 2:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:8.

When we read `all rule and all authority and power', we may be inclined to make too wide a sweep, but the

corrective of verse 26 enables us to see that we are dealing with enemies. There are two distinct actions, and two

distinct classes in view in these verses. The enemies are `abolished', but others are `subdued'. This word `subdued'

(hupotasso) is a cognate of tagma, `order', `rank' of verse 23, and looks to the perfect order and alignment that will

characterize the kingdom of Christ. It is used of Christ Himself in the words, `Then shall the Son also Himself be

subject unto Him ... that God may be all in all'.

The first occurrence of the word is beautiful in its suggestiveness. That One of Whom it was prophesied that `all

things should be subjected beneath His feet' did not presume to act out of harmony with the Father's will for Him

during His boyhood, for: