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links the theme still more closely to Psalms 2:, 45:, and 110:, and incidentally to Rev. 1:
Psa. 102: also takes us to the same period:--
"Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion; for the time to favour her, yea the set
time is come (cf. Dan. 9:, &100:). . . . , So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord,
and all the kings of the earth Thy glory" (verses 13 and 15).
One observation more before we return to I Cor. 15: Some of our readers may
remember our notes on Col. 1: 16, where we sought to bring out the teaching of the
pre-eminence of the Lord Jesus as related to angelic or spiritual powers. In Heb. 2:, "let
all the angels of God worship Him," and "anointed. . . . above Thy fellows," seem to
teach similar truth. So in I Cor. 15: 24; before the kingdom is given up, all rule, all
authority and power (arche, exousia, dunamis, the principalities and powers of Col. 1: 16,
the principalities, powers and might of Eph. 1: 21) are abolished. It does not appear that
these words must mean that they who reign with Christ are included, for the context
speaks specifically of enemies. Those who love the Lord would not need such a drastic
word as "destroy" with reference to the yielding up of their crowns, neither is it in
harmony with Scripture to class the redeemed with enemies and with death.
Further, as death is one of the enemies (the last of them to be destroyed), it helps us to
see that the principalities and powers which are spoken of, and which are linked with
death in the closing verses of Rom. 8:, are not human beings but spiritual foes, for if
death is the last, these others (principalities, &100:) must likewise be reckoned as enemies
too, else the word last has no clear meaning. In the evil day these spiritual wickedness
will wrestle against us (Eph. 6: 12, 13), but thanks be to God that giveth us the victory
(I Cor. 15: 57), namely resurrection life, thanks be to God we are more than conquerors
through Him that loved us, who destroyed death (II Tim. 1: 10), and him who had the
strength of death (Heb. 2: 14), who has removed its sting (I Cor. 15: 56), and liberated
those who all their lifetime by fear of death were held in bondage. Resurrection breaks
the bondage of corruption, and gives in its place the glorious liberty of the children of
God.
We will here pause in the study of our passage. Several other items demand
consideration before we can, by dint of sheer force of direct scriptural evidence, put our
finger upon the passage of scripture and say that that is the kingdom, and that that is the
time when it is handed over to the Father.