Psalm 8:6-8
He reigns!
The subjection of creation to the rule of man will be absolute and complete. There will be no creature, no spiritual or physical being that will not be in submission. It seems that this era of compliance with the rule of God can only be the much-heralded administration that will come to the earth when Christ returns to reign with His people; this great hope of the church is described in prophecy as a millennium of peace. At that time there will be no crime, no armies, no prisons and no arms manufacturers, the world will experience, for a while, the government that God always intended and in that sense it will be mankind’s finest hour. However, that is to come, indeed what we see at present is the very opposite!
The eye of faith is a wonderful thing. When the storm clouds of trouble gather on the horizon or the persistent wind of suffering begins to blow, the eye of faith looks through and beyond to a different place. The Christian believer is just a traveller in this world and he or she knows that the journey will never end in total defeat or annihilation but that glory and victory lie ahead. Against the turbulent history of mankind and the icy squalls of persecution it has always been difficult to keep in focus that all of this world will one day be in subjection to God’s will. That is where faith comes to our aid, for true faith is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”Hebrews 10:1. The eye of faith tells us that one man has already fulfilled verses 7-8 of this chapter, He is the Son of Man, He is Jesus Christ! One man, who was made a little lower than the angels, is crowned with glory and honour. Above all else, if we are to survive this life with integrity and our hearts content, we must keep our eyes and our minds fixed on Jesus. He is our vision and our goal, not a doctrine or a denomination, or another human being or a calling, but Jesus, for He has made possible the fulfilment of Psalm 8. The subjection of the world will come about not because of a great military battle with superior forces or a vast display of heavenly might, but because Jesus died a humiliating death as Son of Man and Son of God on a Roman crucifix in around AD 30. His death is the key to redemption and salvation for the whole of God’s created universe.
The greatest earthly battle of mankind is not against armies or terrorists, it is the final conflict that every man and woman must face; the show-down with the foe that decays and degenerates our bodies until they finally concede defeat. This is the enemy’s moment of triumph, this is when death wins and human life is extinguished. But Jesus was different; because He lived a perfect life as a man, He had no need to die, death could only claim Him if He submitted to it. That is why, at the cross, He gave up His life and therefore expired in advance of the criminals at either side; His death was a voluntary act, not the surrender of a weaker human specimen. His sacrifice and death made atonement for all of mankind; in His death He died the death of all who believe in Him by faith, He conquered the power of death making it possible for human beings to be liberated from its clutches. So the Apostle could write “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor 15:55-57. Was this death for the redemption of mankind only? No, for He sustains all life and so through His death the whole of creation awaits its redemption or as Romans 8:21 tells us; “The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” When all of this happens, let there be no doubt, everything will be under the feet of Christ Jesus and as children of God we, His church, will reign with Him. What glory awaits; what anticipation must beat in our hearts as we sense our present life on earth winding down.
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