The Book of Hebrews 2:5-8 Subjecting all things to Him
Hebrews 2:5-8 · Vern Peterman · May 5, 2013
Hebrews, No. 05
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/492635176628

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

We're going to continue here in our study of the book of Hebrews. We're here in chapter 2 in the passage that Courtney just read for us here. And just to kind of keep things in mind about this book, the book is written to a group of Jewish believers. who were inclined to slip back under the Jewish sacrificial system as kind of their mainstay and focus. But one other thing, very important, and that is the first two chapters of Hebrews, we keep seeing this, in plural, always in plural, reference to angels. And we'll see that in today's passage. We will see it again as we look at the rest of chapter two next time. This subject of angels is a biggie because the Jews, many of them, were not only tempted to slide back into the Jewish sacrificial system as their focus, but also having an inordinate focus on angels and a lot of mythology about angels. Now it so happens, as we pointed out last week, that our own culture tends to have a lot of mythology and fascination with angels.

You know, this kind of being one of the pieces of mythology. We say this is a cherub, right? When in fact the cherubim, as you see them described, were much more fearsome than what you see here in the picture. Another piece of mythology is that angels are somehow tempted with romantic relationship with human beings.

There's only been one instance where that showed up and that was in Genesis chapter 6 before the flood and those angels were put in a special prison and are held there today in that special prison. And so anyway, this scenario, though it's one of the things of books and movies and TV shows, not real. No, angels are not some lovely young babe. They are never described that way in the biblical text, nor are they some guy who looks like he's been pumping iron for the last 1,000 years, right?

The two things that we notice in scripture as a pattern is when angels show up, one of two things. Either people don't know they're angels at all. That could be one scenario, just completely unaware that they're angels. Abraham, for example, treated angels as guests and he just thought that they were travelers traveling through. The other thing that you find out about angels as you go through scripture is one of the first things they have to say is don't be afraid.

That meant that they had possibly a fearsome presentation and awesome and like nothing anybody had ever seen. So this kind of guy looks like he's been pumping iron for a thousand years. It's not quite the scenario that we see. People don't look at him and say, boy, are you buff.

But what they do is they go, whoa, you know, and they get frightened by them. So the angels are servants of God, and one of the things we have here, and this is your first slide, the angels of heaven are God's servants who are sent on assignments. They're sent on assignments. You're assigned to go here, you're assigned to do this, you're assigned to do that. Sometimes to earth, but not always. We have some that are described in heaven only. sent on assignment sometimes to earth to deal out judgment on the earth.

That would be the case, for example, participation in that would be involved with Sodom and Gomorrah. And we'll see that also in many of the chapters of the book of Revelation. To reveal truth. Sometimes that revelation of truth was some significant event example. Here are the disciples, they just see Jesus ascended into heaven, and the angels who are described as men, didn't mean that they are male in any gender sense, but described as men, tell the disciples that Jesus will come back in the same way in which you saw him go up. And, Zechariah chapter 14, to the same place, okay? Reveal truth.

What did the angel Gabriel reveal to Mary? that she was going to bear a son even though she was a virgin she was going to bear a son just to call his name Jesus and so here's a revelation of truth and sometimes to enforce righteousness that's the flip side of the judgment and this will also be the case during the millennial kingdom Time to start as soon as seven years from now.

They are not sexual beings. Especially, we could say categorically, angels from heaven are not sexual beings. As Jesus put it, they're not male and female, okay, in the sense that we have it. When they appear, it is in a male form, but that's not to say that they are male in terms of being male-gendered. Okay. of angels and humans this passage here in Hebrews returns to the subject of angels twice as a matter of fact and angels will continue as a theme until the end of Hebrews chapter 2 always in Hebrews angels in the plural and angels are going to show up again we've seen them in the first two chapters they're going to show up again in the plural in the last two chapters as well very interesting pattern there The angels were created all at once and they do not reproduce. That's a difference. Angels are spiritual beings as we are. We are spiritual beings. But unlike us, they were created all at once by any description that we have. They do not reproduce. There is no male and female, nor reproductive capacity.

The one exception to that was, again, Genesis chapter 6, and those angels were imprisoned. I guess the rest of the fallen angels learned their lesson and have not followed on in that pattern. Unlike mankind, the angels were never said to have been created in God's image. This is significant. God said, Genesis chapter 1, let us make man in our image, and this implies the Trinity, conversing with one another, let us make man in our image, the same was never said of the angels. So the angels, although they are spiritual beings, are not made in God's image like people are.

The first man Adam was entrusted with the plants and animals in the garden and even the woman God made for him and from him. I think that's a key point that we see here that there is an entrusting, a stewardship arrangement that God set up from the very beginning. And notice it frankly was not equal or uniform or the same.

Adam was entrusted with the woman. and responsible for conveying to the woman the things that were told to him. God created things and Genesis 1 describes the first day, second day, third day, fourth day, fifth day. It was on the sixth day that man was created.

First the man and then the woman. So then the man and the woman were placed there in the garden. The man being created first and the woman from him and for him. The man was entrusted with things in the garden. The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. He was the one who was given a stewardship. He was entrusted with these things in the garden. He was entrusted with the things in the garden, the plants, the animals, and the woman that God gave him.

Now, the other thing is, what were the angels doing during this time? We've been talking about angels. The angels sang and shouted for joy when God created the earth. That's Job 38 verses 4 through 7. So did the angels have a part in creation? Not that we know of. Their response was to glorify the Lord. Their response was to be amazed as created beings, to be amazed at what God was doing. So far as we know, they didn't have a part in the creation.

That was entirely God's doing, which God did by the word of His mouth. God said, and it took place. first page here, a chart that shows image and likeness of God. This is the pattern man was created after the image and likeness of God. First with the mutual agreement of the persons of the Godhead, let us make man in our image, Genesis 1.26. The words image and likeness are used together in that one verse.

After that, Genesis 1.27, Genesis 5.1, and Genesis 9.6 It's either image or likeness. So what we see those meaning is while there's slight nuance difference, they're essentially synonyms.

And we see that pattern continuing into the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 11.7 and James 3.9.

We human beings are made in the image and likeness of God, in either image or likeness after Genesis 1.26. Both of those imply the same thing. There is, on the key point there, some slight differences and things pointed out in the chart. We won't go through that. I'll leave that to you to follow through on.

So, let's look at the image and likeness of God and mankind because the angels are unlike this. What is similar in character to God and mankind is the image and likeness of God. The next point, the creation in the image and likeness of God refers to the original state of creation. We are not now in the same form that Adam was.

What happened? Is the image and likeness of God still there? Yes, but it is marred. It has been marred. It has been damaged by sin. It has been damaged by sin. After the fall, Genesis 3, the image and likeness of God remains, but it is marred. And finally, that image and likeness, though marred, remains, so respect the remaining image. That's one of the messages that comes through loud and clear in both the Old Testament and New Testament passages. Respect the remaining image of God in man.

That's one of the key biblical teachings is life is precious and one of the reasons why human life is precious is because we're made in God's image and likeness. You see that? That's a key point that frankly our culture seems to be losing sight of. I wonder why. What are the aspects of the image and likeness of God? And these things, you have this also in your handout, it is a personal image.

That is, God is not impersonal. Hinduism teaches God is ultimately impersonal. The parts of Buddhism that believe in a deity believe that God is ultimately impersonal. The Bible, on the other hand, talks about God as a personal being, and so we, being persons, have that in common with God.

And that remains even though sin is in place. We are a spiritual being. Spiritually, do we have a problem compared to the original creation? Yes. We are spiritually separated from God and therefore spiritually dead, but we are still spiritual beings. Thirdly, is a moral image and likeness. God is a moral being fundamentally and unchangeably. And therefore, we too are moral beings. Do people here on earth, because there is sin, do people have moral issues and problems?

They most certainly do. But nonetheless, there is within man a sense of, well, that is right or that is wrong. Even though others may have their own standards as to what's right and wrong. Fourthly, there is an interpersonal image. That is, there is relationship. Even think about this. Let us make mankind in our image. There is interpersonal relationship between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and that same interpersonal relationship is built into us. We are beings designed for relationship.

Next there is an authority image in the same way God had authority, God granted authority to Adam over the garden, over the plants, over the animals, and even with his wife. Responsibility, yes, but authority as well. And finally, there's a creative image and likeness. And I think this is something God created from the very beginning. He created things as he spoke them into existence.

This is something that may be unique between, as we contrast angels and human beings, We don't have a lot of evidence that the angels were creative. We don't have a lot of evidence that the angels were or are creative. Whereas mankind has a creative aspect, almost incurably creative. People keep creating all sorts of things and put things together that weren't before. So these six things are certainly things that are part of us being made in the image and likeness of God.

The angels do not necessarily carry every one of those things over in their own makeup. Angels were never given a stewardship over the garden or over the earth with plants and animals as Adam, the first man, was given. Angels were not given a stewardship in this same way.

And here's one other important part of it. Human beings are made as spiritual beings and physical beings. The angels can appear in physical form or not. The angels can appear in physical form, but they're not fundamentally spiritual and physical beings as we are. So there is a different characteristic to them. So here is Adam given a responsibility over the garden as a spiritual and physical being. He had a relationship with God as a spiritual being. He had a relationship to the physical realm around him as a physical being.

The angels were never given that. Adam was entrusted with these things and with Eve, his wife. He was entrusted with Eve, his wife. When Adam sinned, the human race fell and the earth was cursed and the angel was posted. Again, what do angels have? They don't have stewardships in the same way we do. They have assignments. And so an angel was posted there to keep Adam and Eve away from the tree of life. You cannot go back to the garden again. So an angel is given an assignment with a flaming sword. You're not coming back into this garden. The angel's job is to keep them out.

So angels are given assignments, but not stewardships on the earth like human beings are. And finally, angels were given assignments, but not a stewardship. Now notice, they are given assignments, and you could say in some sense that yes, they were given a stewardship, but it's not the same thing. They don't have a long-term assignment in the same way, and they do not appear as physical beings to have a continuous connection to things on the earth.

Now, we see in verse 5 this phrase, the world to come. Let's take a look at that. The Bible speaks of this present evil age, this is the Galatians 1.4 passage, and the age to come.

And this is something very interestingly, it's rather consistent throughout the entire New Testament from the words that Jesus says, from the words that Paul writes, and here into Hebrews 6.5 as well. The present evil age and the age to come is the Messiah's age, when the Messiah will reign.

And the present world and the world to come, those are parallel terms. The Bible also speaks of the present fallen world and the world to come. So in this present world, it's fallen. In this present world system, it's fallen. The world to come is the world in which the Messiah reigns.

And so those are described consistently in scripture. The present world is under the God of this world, Satan. The world to come will be under the reign of Christ at his second coming and the God of this world will be chained up and put out of circulation during that time. So it will have a sharp contrast. The present era is an era of evil.

It is an era in which the God of this world roams about doing whatever damage he can. That will not be the case when Christ comes again and we come with him. Now you have this chart and let's step through it so that it all makes sense. Anytime I do something like this I do it to try to clarify things but hopefully it does. So let's go through it a little bit at a time.

At the top it says this present evil age, and that's now. How long has this present evil age been around? Since Adam sinned. When Adam sinned, that started this present evil age. That present evil age will continue until Christ comes again. Which could be as soon as seven years from now. So that's this present evil age. The one to come, the age to come, is the age in which the Messiah reigns. Not that. Parallel to that is the present world and the world to come. And so you see those quoted down in the list of passages down below.

In this age and the age to come, this age and the age to come, and in Galatians 1.4, this present evil age, and then 2nd Timothy and 1st Timothy, this present world, and here in Hebrews 2.5, the world to come. So those teachings, those statements in scripture are quite consistent. And those, as we show them, are in parallel. Let's step through it. Here is creation.

God created everything, but Adam was not righteous, he was innocent. Catch the difference? Christ is fundamentally righteous. Adam was not righteous, he was simply innocent until he sinned. That is what we call the fall, and that begins the present evil age. In the midst of that present evil age, Christ comes and is crucified. We see that as the first coming. He's crucified, buried, and rises again, and ascends, and is seated with the Father. That's at his first coming. That's still in the middle of this present evil age. But, as scripture points out, it's still the right time. At the right time, God sent his son, right? It's an evil age, but the right time to send his son. Next, we'll see Christ's second coming. We don't have the differentiation here of the last part of that, seven years of tribulation.

You can write that in if you like. Essentially, this present evil age is not going to get generally better, but it's going to be at its very worst at the end. Let's put it this way. Before it gets any better, it's going to get a lot worse. Okay? You ready for that? Brace yourself. Before it gets any better, it's going to get a lot worse.

The age to come will be the age when Christ the Messiah reigns. We will come with him. He will reign, as Revelation 20 says, six times for a thousand years. That's why the term the millennium, the millennial kingdom, is another term. The kingdom. The kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God. Those are all that future time. Okay?

Alright, so we step through that. Now, let's look at the past and future of angels here, since the topic of angels keeps coming up here in Hebrews 1 and 2. At one point in past time, Satan and a third of the angels chose against God. It's interesting, the angels were given like a time window in which they could choose to be, you're going to be for God or against Him. Okay? And so what we have from Revelation chapter 12 verses 3 and 4 is that a third of the angels left with Satan.

They decided against the Lord at that point in time. the lake of fire was prepared for those angels who chose against God and that is their final future and by the way they know it at one point in the book of Matthew Jesus is coming up to a man who is possessed by demons and the demons start screaming out you're not ready to start torturing us are you? They know it. They know where it's headed. So they've got a certain period of time here on planet Earth, but the lake of fire has already been prepared, and that word prepared is one that Jesus uses, and the form of the Greek means it's already been prepared and it's ready.

It's waiting for them, and we have the appearance that these angels who chose against God saw in advance the consequences that was ready for them, but they chose anyway. Can you imagine that spiritual insanity? That's just nuts, but that's what they chose. That is their final future. There is no plan of salvation from anything that we have revealed. The angels do not have any plan of salvation. However, God has used them to take part in our plan of salvation.

Isn't that interesting? The angels are under orders from God to be involved in various aspects of our plan of salvation. Example, here's Gabriel the angel that comes and tells Mary, you're going to bear a child. You'll call his name Jesus. So the angels are involved in that. The angels showed up there at the tomb. The angels showed up when Jesus was ascended and talked to the disciples.

The angels are involved on assignment in our plan of salvation even though there is no plan of salvation for them by anything we have revelation on. Those who chose to side with God, that's the one-third, are now excuse me, two-thirds, are now called the angels of heaven. The others, sometimes called various things, evil spirits, demons, that one-third, those are not the angels of heaven. They chose against the Lord. What we have here is a bunch of angels gathered around Christ.

Those were left their abode, driven off of heaven. They reside on this planet, planet Earth, awaiting their time. Can you imagine knowing that a time is coming, knowing full well that a time is coming when you're going to be sent to the lake of fire and choosing it anyway? That takes some real spiritual insanity.

The angels of heaven chose to be with the Lord and still choose to be with the Lord, are still with the Lord. Angels will have a place of judgment, carrying out judgments on the earth during the tribulation period. Numerous times we see that description there in the book of Revelation from chapter 6 up to chapter 19. That's the tribulation period. and they will serve in the Millennial Kingdom.

When Christ comes again, actually that could be as close as seven years from now, we will, in new bodies, come with him, the angels of heaven as well. Being so great in number between ourselves and the angels that it appears to others as if there are clouds. So we see the descriptions in both the Old and New Testament of Christ coming in the clouds. Coming in the clouds, a great number.

Revelation 10.1 is an example of this angel that has a tribulation period assignment and it says there's a rainbow about his head. An awesome creature, awesome creature, but not God.

Now the future of angels and humans, let's look at that. While both we in the church and the angels will come to earth with Christ at His second coming, we will come to the world to come as the bride of Christ to rule and reign with Him. We do not ever become angels. Angels never become us. There isn't some crossover. But both we and the angels will come with Christ at his second coming, but with different roles and having different histories and different futures and different assignments. We will be the bride of Christ.

Just as there are different groups of angels, cherubim and seraphim, and even as we've seen, I've shown some of the pictures here, the four living creatures are angelic creatures described in the book of Revelation. Angels are not uniformly the same. They seem to have different form and different assignments. So there are different groups of angels and there are fallen and unfallen angels. A third are fallen and the other two-thirds are not fallen. There are also different groups of people and both fallen and saved people. Both fallen and saved people.

The distinction we have, and this shows up in a slide on page two of your handout, Gentiles, Israel, and the Church. There are ethnic distinctions in the Gentiles and Israel, and there is no ethnic distinction, but a heavenly distinction in the Church. Got that? Three people groups, the Gentiles and Israel, are ethnic distinctions.

For the Church, no ethnic distinction. There's neither Jew nor Greek. All those physical distinctions. No male or female. It is a heavenly distinction. Since the time of Adam and Eve, there have been Gentiles, and what do we mean by Gentiles? Get the terminology clear. Gentile is simply a non-Jew. Gentile is simply a non-Jew. Ethnically, not Jewish.

Some of whom were and are saved by faith. Some of whom were and are saved by faith. Enoch walked with God. And God took him after 365 years. Noah walked with God. He was also a Gentile, like Enoch, a non-Jew, and walked with the Lord, saved by faith. Since the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, there have been Jews, some of whom were saved by faith. See, not all the Jews are saved by faith. And that was, by the way, one of the things that Jesus had to counter in his ministry.

Because every Jew would assume, I'm a descendant of Abraham. I'm in. I'm there. The Jewish mythology was that Abraham was going to stand by the gates of hell and make sure no Jew ever got in. That was the Jewish mythology. Jesus had to counter that and say, unless you do this and this and this, you're not getting in. which shocked them. Since the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, there have been Jews, some of whom were saved by faith. How were the Jews saved?

Same way the Gentiles were, by faith. And finally, since the time of Acts 2, Acts chapter 2, there have been members of the church, the body of Christ, who are all saved by faith. Now, of the Gentiles, some are saved by faith. Of the Jews, some are saved by faith. If you're not saved by faith, you're not a part of the church. So here is the distinction. The church has everyone saved by faith.

Everyone saved by faith, or you're not a part of the church, and it doesn't matter if you're Jew or Gentile. No ethnic distinction, only a heavenly distinction. We'll return with Christ at His second coming. We of the church will return with Christ at His second coming. as soon as the year 2020. Okay? As soon as the year 2020. Could be. I hope it is.

Now, as we go into the next verses, 6 through 8 there, this is a quote in this passage from Psalm chapter 8, verses 4 through 8. And so he essentially quotes that. One of the things you'll have noticed probably in Hebrews is that he doesn't say, this is from Psalms chapter 8, he doesn't reference things like that.

One reason why is because it wasn't until centuries after the Bible was completed, about the year 1200, when they added chapters. The verses weren't added until about the middle 1500s. Not until about the middle 1500s. So that's the reason for not giving all the chapters and verse numbers and that sort of thing.

God had entrusted Adam with a stewardship over the garden. We'll be talking more about stewardships in the weeks ahead here. Over the garden and over the earth, something angels never did have and never will in that same way anyway. Angels are given assignments. given assignments, but not the same way that human beings are given stewardships. Angels are subject to the orders of God as servants sent on specific assignments, but man was entrusted with the earth. Entrusted with the earth. Even after Adam sinned, the stewardship, though changed, remained, and remains to this day.

Now there's some terminology we have to look at because it shows up not only in this passage but it will still show up again in Hebrews and that is there is a figure of speech that is used in the Bible and it's used here in Hebrews at least three times that I can find.

From the Old Testament into the New there are multiple references to things made with hands and things made not with hands. You might think well What's that mean? How do I make something without hands? Well, let's look at that. There's a variation in the general patterns of words as well, and we'll keep our eye out for that.

The work of God in the physical realm, such as God creating something, is spoken of as being done by God's hands. So when God does something in the physical realm, It's called the work of his hands. That starts back in Job, goes through several passages in the Psalms, and we saw it in Hebrews 1.10, and see it here in this passage in Hebrews. So when God does something in the physical realm, it is said to be done by his hand or with his hands, the work of his hands. The other part of that though, when God does something in the spiritual realm, it's spoken of as not made with hands or made without hands.

Isn't that interesting? So God did things without hands, and that happens in the Old Testament and Daniel and on into the New Testament, including Hebrews 9 that we'll get to if the Lord doesn't come first. Hebrews 9 is an example of not made with hands.

So let's think about this. If you're identified with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and seeding, is that something that God does with hands or without hands? does without hands, right? See? So that's the difference here. When God made the world, He did it with His hands. When He identified us with Christ, because that's a spiritual accomplishment, He did that without hands. So that's the Hebrew figure of speech, and we'll see it as we continue on in our study of the book of Hebrews. Now, something, and I really probably don't need to tell you too much about this.

Right now, mankind's stewardship over the earth is all messed up. That's a technical term, by the way. Right? Man's stewardship over the earth is all messed up. And the reality is, it's pretty easy to recognize that. Things are just not right here on the planet. Okay? We got things that are just, you know, disasters. One disaster to the next. People doing things to other people. Right now, mankind's stewardship over the earth is all messed up. Why? Sin. Sin. Okay? Sin entered and everything is messed up.

Lots of things are messed up. This fallen man, from Adam onward, has messed up his God-given stewardship over the earth, along with his care for the plants and animals and man, with the people entrusted to him. Initially, Adam was entrusted with one other person, and that's his wife Eve. And guess what? He messed that up. First thing, God comes to Adam, Adam, where are you? And of course, Adam doesn't say here, right? Doesn't say that, you know, first thing, you know, what happened, right? That woman that you gave me, she...

Anyway, not very good answers. But instead of seeing that I was responsible for her and I should have done this and that and the other thing, he immediately starts finger-pointing. And you can tell something's not quite right. And Adam really knew he had a problem as soon as Eve asked, do these fig leaves make me look fat? He knew he was in deep trouble.

The image of God that was originally God's design for us has been marred. It is still present, we still must respect it, but it's been marred, it's been messed up. And that's the reason why our stewardship over the earth is all messed up, is our having been created in the image of God has gotten messed up. There is within human beings a sense in which things ought to be better than they are right now. Did you ever notice that?

It doesn't matter whether a person believes in God or not. People have a sense of, you know, things ought to be different than the way they are. Now, it doesn't mean that everybody agrees about how they ought to be different. So don't get me wrong on that. But people have a natural sense of things ought to be better or different than the way they are. And people have that whether they believe in God or not, whether they're saved or not.

There's just a built-in sense of, you know, things ought to be different than the way they are. And the reason is because we were created with that sense of, you know, I was made in the image of God. You know, I ought to be a different person than I am, and this world around me ought to be a different world. I was made for something different. And people have that sense naturally. But there's something we've got to square up with, and that is the earth will not get better until Christ comes back.

You know, people get really wrapped around the axle about all sorts of different things. They get wrapped around the axle about elections. They get wrapped around the axle about, you know, this ought to happen, this ought to happen, this ought not to happen. The bombing that took place that made a horrific tragedy out of the Boston Marathon, that's one of those things where, boy, it gets everybody's attention, but it's a part of the sense of things ought to be different than they are.

Things ought to be better than they are. Everyone is going about trying to implement their varying ideas, even if those ideas conflict. There were some people who thought, you know, the world's going to be better if we just have a pressure cooker bomb. That's going to improve things. Of course, most other people thought that's not going to improve things.

But the reality is that's part of the conflict that goes on, the different sense of what will make things better. No system of government, or of economy, or of the world ecology is going to make things better until Christ comes back and we come back with him. Which I hope is in the year 2020, right?

Nothing is going to fix it. Why? Because human beings do not have the answer, no matter who we elect. Human beings do not have the answer. Christ is the only answer. Period. And right before that, it's going to get a lot worse. Right before Christ comes again, it's going to get a lot worse. For seven years, it's going to get a lot worse. You and I won't be here during that time.

One of the things that this passage lays out here is that Christ left his place of privilege. Here he was, he had a nice comfortable place with, and comfortable is hardly the word, a comfortable place with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, and everything was fine, and what he said went, and everybody knew who he was, and he steps into time.

He stepped into time intentionally. God did not send his son as a sort of an oops or an afterthought. He intentionally did when he was born of Mary. Christ was crucified and buried and rose again intentionally in time. Intentionally in time. In these things, Christ died for us so that we might live with him. Christ died for us that we might live for Him as He stepped into time. Now, a time will come, and I'm using time words here, a time will come when Christ will step into time again with you and with me when He comes again.

Christ volunteered at that time to be lower than the angels for a short while. He says, I will be lower than the angels. I'll come down to earth where people won't recognize me, where my birth will be questioned and doubted. The legitimacy of my birth, the place of my birth will be questioned and doubted, where I will be at risk. He volunteered for that and he volunteered to be crucified on the cross for you and for me. He did that voluntarily for a little while. A little over three decades of time.

Christ will have earned his place of glory and honor. He will have earned his place of glory and honor. That's happening now as he is seated right now with the Father, but it will happen here on planet Earth when he comes again. That will be a place of glory and honor as well. You and I will rule and reign with Christ when he comes again. We'll rule and reign with Christ when we come with him at his second coming. Not only will we of the body of Christ, the church, be with Christ as his bride, but we will judge angels.

Are you getting ready for that? Getting ready to be an angel judge? Isn't that amazing? Here it is. First Corinthians 6 3 do you not know that we will judge angels? I hope you're boning up on that studying. Okay You know how to judge angels, right? Well, you're gonna have to Do you not know that we will judge angels and it may be sooner than you think Christ was lower than the angels for a time and we were lower than the angels for a time and I say we were why I Though we're still here on planet Earth, where are we seated?

We're seated with Him. We're positioned with Him. In fact, one way you could put it is our gaze is down. Looking down from where we're seated with Him. So I put that in the past tense. We are in Christ. He tasted death for us, as Hebrews 2.9 says. He tasted death for us. He was crucified for us, as we see elsewhere in the New Testament. We were identified with Him in that death. And we were also identified with Him in His burial, His resurrection, ascension, and seeding. Seeding where He is now. He is at a place of glory and honor now. There in the heavenlies.

And then, when He comes back with us, He will be on David's throne. He will be the King of Israel. He will be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords over the Gentile nations. And you and I, as the Bride of Christ, will reign with Him. But one more thing you've got to get yourself ready for. Not only just to judge angels. We will be an island of grace in a world ruled by law. When Christ comes again, he will rule by law over the entire Israel and over the Gentiles. But you and I will be an island of grace surrounding him at that time.

Isn't that amazing? And it could be soon. I hope it is. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you as we look way back and as we look way forward, we see that you are indeed managing all of history to sum up everything in Christ. And indeed, Lord, you have an amazing future for us, an amazing present, and even an amazing past. We thank you that you have planned it all.

You are in control of it all. And in spite of things appearing to be out of control, they're not. You are still working all things together for the good that were conformed to the image of Christ. And that image will last for eternity. We give you thanks for the assurance that we have and the perspective that we have here, shown in this passage. And we do entrust all things into you. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.