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(a) Its universality:
"For in that He put all in subjection under Him, He left nothing that is not put under
Him" (2: 8).
How similar this mode of reasoning is to that in I Cor. 15: 27:
"But when He saith all things are put under Him, it is manifest that He is excepted,
which did put all things under Him."
Its universality in the one case is proved by the word "all", which leaves "nothing"
that is not put under Him; its universality in the other case is proved by one obvious
exception--God Himself. All, whether principality, or power, heavenly, earthly or
subterranean, must be subjected unto Him.
In I Cor. 15: the "all" includes enemies, which are to be "destroyed". This fact will
prevent us from reasoning that since all are to be subject beneath His feet, all must
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" (2: 8).
This constituted a real difficulty at the time. 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 that "now we see not yet all things put
under Him". The dispensational viewpoint of the Mystery put things in a different light.
At the very same time that Paul could confess that prophecy had become temporarily held
up (Heb. 2: 8), he could personally be rejoicing in a peculiar fulfillment of this same
promise (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."
By this statement we do not intend to teach that Hebrews and Ephesians were written
at the same time or about the same subject! 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.