`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 is therefore

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 is now 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. 2:14).

Other passages illustrating the meaning of katargeo `put down',

`destroyed' (1 Cor. 15:24-26) are Romans 6:6; 1 Corinthians 2:6; 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 1 Corinthians

15:26 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 even of

Christ Himself in the words, `Then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto

Him ... that God may be all in all' (1 Cor. 15:28).

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:

`He ... came to Nazareth (with His parents), and was subject unto them'

(Luke 2:51).

In Romans 8:7 the two words `enmity' and `subjection' are seen to be

`The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law

of God, neither indeed can be'.

The word `subject' involves the idea of a `willing surrender'.  All must

come down in that day.  Some by being `abolished' or `destroyed', others by a