death".  The enmity envisaged is spiritual, even as the rule, authority and power.

Moreover, where verses 24, 25 use the words `put down' or `put under His feet', verse 26

says plainly `destroyed', even as the corresponding passage in verse 54 declares that

death shall be swallowed up in victory at the resurrection.

Having taken us so far, the Apostle returns to the subject, and this time makes a

quotation from Psa. 8:, "For He hath put all things under His feet". The placing of an

enemy under the feet is an O.T. figure of conquest, and never means deliverance,

liberation or blessing.  Throughout I Cor. 15: 24-27, and in every passage where

Psa. 8: 6 is quoted the redeemed are excepted. The first occurrence of this figure is in

Josh. 10:  The kings of the Amorites and others, banded themselves together against

Gibeon, and upon the triumphant expedition of Joshua against them, these kings hid

themselves in a cave at Makkedah. They were brought out from their hiding place, and

Joshua called to the captains of the men of war "Come near, put your feet upon the necks

of these kings . . . . . and afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them

on five trees" (Josh. 10: 22-27). Makkedah was treated as was Jericho (10: 28), and it is

utterly impossible to read into Josh. x ., the remotest hint that these enemies had the

slightest hope of deliverance. This is the figure employed in I Cor. 15: 24-28 when all

enemies are put under His feet of Christ the true Joshua.

When Paul assured the Roman believers that "The God of peace shall bruise Satan

under your feet shortly", they knew that the age-long enmity between the two seeds was

at length to terminate in the utter defeat of Satan, and the complete victory of the

Redeemer and His people. When the eighth Psalm is quoted in Eph. 1:, the all things

that are under His feet, are principality and power, might and dominion, but not the

church. Here once again we could echo I Cor. 15: and say "It is manifest that one

company is excepted, namely the Church which is His Body, the fullness of Him that

filleth all in all". One of the services rendered by Colossians, an epistle which goes over

much the same ground as that of Ephesians, is that it presents a truth stated in Ephesians

from another angle. So in Col. 3: we read of a company:

This is presenting the truth of Eph. 1: 22, 23 from another view-point. It will be seen

moreover, that Col. 3: 11 teaches that the church of the Mystery foreshadows and

anticipates the day when God shall be all in all, Christ occupying that position here and

now, even as the final subjugation of all rule, authority and power is anticipated in

Eph. 1: 21-23.  When that great day comes, we read that, when all things are subdued

unto Him, then shall the Son Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him,

and this calls for careful consideration, lest by hasty conclusions and inconsiderate

speech we dishonour the Lord. Of itself the Greek word translated `subdue' and `subject'

is colourless; it does not of itself mean anything derogatory. Hupotasso, the verb in

question is composed of hupo "under" and tasso "set" which gives us tagma "order"

(I Cor. 15: 23). All in Christ are to be made alive, but even so, there will be differences

of position for these, even as one star differs from another star, even though both are

"in glory". This is indicated by the words "But every one in his own order". The Saviour