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necessarily be saved. In I Cor. 15: death as the last enemy is to be destroyed; in Heb. 2:
the devil, the holder of the power of death, is to be destroyed, so the parallel is
completed. Before passing to the second feature of this Psalm the apostle makes another
observation upon the subjection of all things:--
"But now we see not yet all things put under Him."
This constituted a real difficulty. The Messiah had come, but the long promised
kingdom had not yet been set up. Peter confesses that the subject was accompanied by
difficulties, but he certainly did not endorse the words of the scoffers who said, "Where is
the promise of His coming?" The Lord was not slack concerning His promise, but the
writings of Paul, in which were things hard to be understood, contained the explanation
of this apparent delay, while, so far as the dispensational position of the "Hebrews" is
concerned, it was true, "but now we see not yet all things put under Him". The
dispensational view-point of the Mystery put things in a different light. At the very same
time that the apostle could say Heb. 2: 8, he could personally be rejoicing in
Eph. 1: 22, 23:--
"And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to
the Church which is His Body."
Universal headship has not yet been taken by the Lord, but headship over all things to
the Church is His position now. What He will be universally, He is now in mystery.
What He will be in heaven and in earth is anticipated now in the super-heavenlies. We
however are dealing with Hebrews, not Ephesians, and the point of view there is "we see
not". Not until the seventh angel sounds shall the mystery of God be consummated in the
universal sovereignty of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The second feature of Psalm 8: is the reference to man being made a little lower
than the angels. Psa. 8: looks back to Adam and forward to Christ. Rom. 5: 14
supplies the link:--
"Adam.....who is the figure of Him that was to come."
and I Cor. 15: 45-47 supplements:--
"The first man Adam was made a living soul, the last Adam a life-giving Spirit. The
first man is of the earth earthy, the second man is the Lord from heaven."
Psa. 8: looks at the first and second man. Viewing Adam in his frailty and fall the
Psalmist says, "What is man that Thou art mindful of him?" Viewing man in the person
of the Lord from heaven he sees the crown of glory and honour placed upon One who
will never fail or forfeit. The apostle's eye is not fixed upon frailty and forfeiture, but
upon honour and glory--"but we see Jesus", "consider the apostle and High Priest of our
profession" he writes; rather than Moses and Aaron (3:), "look off unto Jesus"; rather
than the cloud of witnesses enumerated in chapter 11:, consider the end of the
conversation of those who have spoken unto you the word of God--"Jesus Christ, the
same yesterday, and to-day, and unto the age" (13:).