The Glories of Christ As the Son of Man: Possession of His Inheritance

All things, as we have seen, are put, in the purpose of God, under the feet of Christ; but, as the Apostle expressly says, we do not yet see all things put under the “Son of man,” but we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor. This then is the present position. Christ is the Son of man of whom Psalm 8 speaks, and indeed, as Hebrews 1 says, He is the Heir of all things; and this very term “heir” shows that He has not yet succeeded to His inheritance. But the title is His by the will of God (Phil. 2); He has taken up all the liabilities that lay upon His vast domain, for He has tasted death for everything; and now, crowned with glory and honor at the right hand of God, He waits for the appointed moment when He shall come forth and take possession of all that the Father has delivered into His hands. There are then three stages to be considered: the present moment, the period during which Christ is exalted on high; His coming forth in power to subdue His enemies; and His rule until all things are subdued under Him. Let us then consider these in the order named.
In regard to the first, we have already pointed out several of the exercises of power on the part of Christ in virtue of all things having been delivered into His hands, and these we need not recall. But we may with profit consider the cause of the delay in His assumption of His dominion. It is most strikingly stated by the Lord Himself in the synagogue at Nazareth. When He stood up to read there on that sabbath day, there was delivered to Him the book of the prophet Esaias. “And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:16-19). Turning back to the prophet Isaiah, whence this quotation is made, we find that the next sentence is, “And the day of vengeance of our God.” This day has not yet arrived, and hence between the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God the entire interval of the day of grace has to be interposed. If, therefore, Christ waits at the right hand of God before taking possession of His inheritance, it is in order that the gospel may go forth on every hand, so that those who are to be heirs of God and coheirs with Himself might be called in, and that the bride may be conducted across the desert to the true Isaac, who, having presented her to Himself a glorious Church, only and without blemish, will display her in the same glory with Himself, when He comes forth to take possession of His inheritance.
The cause of the delay, therefore is nothing less than the heart of God as expressed in the gospel of His grace. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”; and the proclamation will be sounded forth in every quarter of the world, until Christ arises from His seat at the right hand of God. “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” How much, therefore, hangs upon the present moment. And how it magnifies the grace of God that He should delay to put His beloved Son into the possession of His kingdom, because He lingers over the world that cast out and crucified Him! Well indeed might we exclaim with the Apostle, “0 the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!”
Before entering upon our consideration of the second stage — Christ coming forth to claim His possessions — it will be necessary to connect this event with the interval between the close of the day of grace and the appearing of Christ. As we have seen, when Christ arises from His seat at the right hand of God, the day of grace is closed forever. It is then that He comes for His people, for all who have been gathered in from the earliest ages up till that moment, or, if we confine our attention to 1 Thessalonians 4, for all His own from the day of Pentecost. To give the Apostle’s own words — “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16-17). Adding to this the instructions given in 1 Corinthians 15, we have two things: first, that before the public manifestation of the Lord in glory, He will interpose with power in the domain of death, and raise His sleeping saints; and second, that He will change the bodies of the living saints. These are the words of the Apostle in this chapter: “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51-52). And let it be distinctly observed that the power which the Lord puts forth in raising the sleeping, and in changing the living, saints is said to be in virtue of having all things put under Him (Phil. 3:20-21). It is, so to speak, the first wave of His power which, flowing forth from the throne of God on which He sits, will flow on until it has submerged every hostile power, and brought everything into subjection to His glorious sway.
The result of this exercise of His power is that the saints are ever with the Lord, for it is consequent upon this that they are introduced into the Father’s house, that where He is they may be also (John 14:3, 4). Two other things take place before His appearing in glory; the judgment seat of Christ, and thereupon the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19).
All is now ready for His coming forth, but we may refer to another preparatory scene in heaven which will help in the apprehension of what follows. In Revelation 5 we hear, after being permitted to see the sealed book in the right hand of Him who sat upon the throne, a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?” There was no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth who could take up the challenge; and then we are told that the “Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” had “prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.” Announced under such commanding titles, John “beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts [living creatures), and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.” He is a Lamb as it had been slain to show that it was through His death upon the cross that He had won His victorious title to possess all things. It is true that the scene here only embraces the earth; and yet at the close of the chapter every creature which is in heaven, as well as on the earth and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, unite in loud acclaim, “Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.” This scene is most important, since it establishes beyond question that it is through His sacrificial death the Lord obtains His universal dominion. It is this indeed that the redeemed, the ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands of angels, and every creature in the wide universe of God, own in their several ascriptions of praise and adoration, as recorded in this chapter.
We may now all the more intelligently proceed to dwell upon Christ’s coming to claim His rights and to take possession of His inheritance. It will add to our interest in this marvelous event if we remember that through His grace we shall be His companion in the glorious display of that day; for it is then that He comes to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that have believed. The Lord Himself has described the manner of His appearing in most solemn and striking language: “As the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” And again, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:27-30).
The suddenness of the appearing is much dwelt upon by both Paul and Peter. Both use the expression, “as a thief in the night,” to describe it, and thus also its unexpected character. As the former says, “When they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh.” The light of the glory of the Lord will then burst without a moment’s warning upon the moral darkness of this world, when He comes to take account of everything according to God’s righteousness in government, and when He shall send forth His angels to gather out of His kingdom all things which offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. This is therefore called the day of the Lord, because at that time He will administer the authority of God in righteousness, whether in dealing with evil or in justifying and establishing His earthly people, “for He cometh, for He cometh to judge the earth: He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with His truth” (Psalm 96:13).
There is yet to be considered the sway of Christ in the world to come, during the thousand years, under which all things are subdued or put under His feet. At the outset He will be occupied with the powers of evil. We need not go into details, as it will be sufficient to remind the reader that He will first of all destroy the antichrist with the brightness of His coming; He will also destroy all the nations that will be gathered against Jerusalem; He will establish His throne in Zion; He will gather His people Israel from the four corners of the earth, for “He that scattered Israel will gather him,” and He will settle them in blessing under His beneficent and righteous rule. Then it will be through Israel that He will subdue the nations on earth. Thus Jeremiah speaks, addressing Israel in the name of Jehovah, “Thou art My battle-ax and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms” (Jer. 51:20).
We need not, however, pursue the subject in detail, for the fact lies everywhere, even on the surface of the prophetic scriptures, that when once the kingdom of Christ is established in the age to come, all men must submit to His rule, and that, even though enmity may still possess their hearts, they will proffer their subjection. We accordingly read several times in the Psalms that there are many who, afraid at the display of His power, will yield to Him feigned obedience. As He Himself, speaking in the Spirit says, “As soon as they hear of Me, they shall obey Me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto Me” (Psalm 18:44). And again, “Say unto God, How terrible art Thou in Thy works! through the greatness of Thy power shall Thine enemies submit themselves unto Thee. All the earth shall worship Thee, and shall sing unto Thee; they shall sing to Thy name” (Psa. 66:3-4).
But it is in the 72nd Psalm that we see the effect upon earth of the establishment of the supremacy of Christ, consequent upon the subdual of His enemies, when there is neither adversary or evil occurrent. In this beautiful picture of the reign of the Prince of Peace we behold every element of human happiness and earthly blessing. Take the following verses for example: “In His days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before Him; and His enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before Him: all nations shall serve Him. For He shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in His sight. And He shall live, and to Him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for Him continually; and daily shall He be praised.... His name shall endure forever: His name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in Him: all nations shall call Him blessed” (Psa. 72:7-17).
The Glories of Christ As the Son of Man: Possession of His Inheritance
Well indeed might Christ be termed by the prophet Haggai the Desire of all nations (Hag. 2:7), for surely in this inspired description of the state of things under His rule in the world to come, we behold the answer to the longings of men’s hearts in every age. Poets have stepped in to voice the inarticulate sorrows of men, but they have only dreamed dreams; prophets have feigned out of their own imaginations a coming era of universal bliss; and politicians have labored in the first to redress grievances, to break the yoke of the oppressor, and to pass laws which should secure liberty and freedom for the people. But all these dreams, imaginations, and labors have been falsified in the issue, and have thus come to naught. And why? Let the answer be written large: IT IS BECAUSE THEY HAVE ALL IGNORED SIN, AND BECAUSE THEY HAVE SHUT OUT CHRIST. It is through the reign of another Man, even the exalted Christ, and through His reign alone, that the happiness of man will be secured. O that men would acknowledge this even now, and in view of the coming of Christ listen to the exhortation of the psalmist, “Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him” (Psa. 2:10-12).
We have not forgotten that thus far only the earthly side of the kingdom of Christ has been considered. We turn now, therefore, to another scripture which brings before us all the elements of that day, good now to faith, but which will be in the coming age, in actual display. The Apostle is contrasting the age of law with the world to come — Sinai, as representing the quintessence of law, and Mount Zion where David established the ark of God, are significant of royal grace. After setting forth the terrors of Sinai, which affected even Moses so greatly that he said, “I exceedingly fear and quake,” he proceeds, “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, the general assembly, and to the church of the firstborn which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel” (Heb. 12:22-24).
If the reader has comprehended the slight alterations made in the text, he will the more readily perceive the division of the several clauses, each of which is then introduced by the conjunction “and,” as in the original. And if our attention is directed for a moment to two of the things named, the character of the scene here introduced will be placed beyond question. These two are “mount Sion” and “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” Now it is evident that these do not exist at present in the sense here intended, excepting in the purposes of God. They are spoken of in the Scriptures, both in the Old and New Testaments; but they are not to be found as yet on earth, and therefore it is clear that the Apostle speaks of what is true to faith. Hence it is that he can say to believers, “Ye are come unto mount Sion,” for faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. In the coming age, the world to come, spoken of in chapter 2, these things will be seen as in actual display when, as we read in Psalm 48, “Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King,” and in the Revelation, “He... showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” Rev. 21:10-11).
Having made plain that the actuality of these things is in the world to come, wherein all things, whether in heaven or upon earth, are put in subjection to the Son of man, a brief reference may be made to the several particulars here brought together. The first is mount Sion, and the next “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem”; these have already been spoken of. Then we have, “and to an innumerable company [myriads] of angels ... the general assembly” (or “the universal gathering,” that is, of the heavenly hosts). These are the myriads of angels spoken of in Revelation 5, all of whom will be attendants upon the Son of man in His kingdom, the executors of His commands, or the ministers of His pleasure (see John 1:51). The Lord speaks of Himself also as “the Son of man... when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38).
Next we have (as it should read), “And to the church of the firstborn, which are written [enregistered] in heaven.” These are saints of the present period, whose names are recorded in the book of life, those who will form the bride of Christ, all of whom are counted as firstborn ones in virtue of their association with Him who is the Firstborn from the dead, and who, on this account, will share in His inheritance, and are, therefore, called His coheirs. Then follows, “and to God the Judge of all.” Allusion to this character of God (for it must be remembered that it is the world to come which is in question) is frequently found in the Psalms, as for example, “He cometh to judge the earth: He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with His truth” (Psa. 96:13). But He will do so by “that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). Then we have, “and to the spirits of just men made perfect.” Another class or family of the redeemed here comes into view, one, it may be judged, which includes all saints of every age prior to the coming of Christ into this world. As we may gather from Hebrews 11, they were all heirs “of the righteousness which is by faith” (see vss. 4-7), and on them had dawned the light and glory of the world to come (see vss. 8-16). But all the blessing in which they stood before God was in virtue of the death and resurrection of Christ which were yet to be accomplished. Now that redemption has been effected, Christ having obtained eternal redemption, they can be spoken of as “the spirits of just men made perfect”; and hence, when Christ comes to claim His people, they will share in the first resurrection. We thus read in. Matthew’s Gospel “That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 8:11), a time which refers to the period of our subject; namely, the time of the public display of Christ’s glory in the kingdom.
The next thing is, “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant.” There is a profound reason for the introduction of this office of Christ in this place. Two things in connection with this subject have been previously taught in this epistle. In chapter 8 it is said that Christ “who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man... hath... obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises” (vss. 1, 2, 6); and furthermore, it is said that the new covenant is made with the house of Israel, although it is ever to be remembered, as 1 Corinthians 11 and 2 Corinthians 3 evidently show, that all believers are brought into the enjoyment of the blessings which the new covenant secures. Now Christ is both High Priest and Mediator. As the Great High Priest He appears before God on our behalf; as Mediator He is the One through whom God has approached man. In other words, God comes out through the Mediator, and man (the believer) goes in through the Priest. And there is to be added to this, that the terms of the new covenant explain God’s attitude toward man. For Israel it secures, as may be seen in this chapter, the law written in the heart, and forgiveness of sins; and for all believers now, righteousness and the Spirit, according to the Apostle’s teaching in 2 Corinthians 3.
We may now point out the reason of the introduction of the new covenant in this place. It will form the ground of God’s relationship to Israel in the coming age, ratified as it has been in the blood of Christ, and it reveals at the same time the attitude of God towards all, the terms of His relationship toward all, who are under the rule of Christ in the kingdom. In brief, it will form the basis of His righteous government in grace.
Last of all, and indeed as the foundation of all the blessedness which has been unfolded to our view, we have, “and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” The reference is undoubtedly, we judge, to the sprinkling of the blood upon and before the mercy seat on the day of atonement, inasmuch as it was the blood upon the mercy seat, making propitiation as it did, which constituted the efficacious ground of God’s relationships with His people. In like manner the blood sprinkled upon the lintel and doorposts of the dwellings of Israel in Egypt secured them from judgment, formed the righteous basis of their redemption out of Egypt, of their passage through the Red Sea, and of their entrance into Canaan. The precious blood of Christ, it cannot be repeated too often or too strenuously, is the foundation of all blessing, for therein God’s righteousness has been declared and His heart revealed. And these two things pursued to their consequences make up the gospel of the grace of God. It is no wonder, therefore, that the Apostle adds, “that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” This called down from God vengeance upon Cain, whereas the former, the blood of Christ, has secured the blessedness of believers now, the heading up of all things in Christ in the world to come, and the new heaven and the new earth, after the first heaven and the first earth shall forever have passed away.
To seize the significance of this glorious scene it is necessary to remember that Christ is the Head and Center of it all. Every redeemed family is brought into it, all the heavenly hosts are there, together with all principalities and powers; and the joy of all alike will be found in their willing subjection to Christ as Head of all. Thus it is a scene on which God will rest in His love, in entire complacency, for then all distance will have been removed, and everything will have been brought back into ordered suitability to Himself. It is then that the song of praise will be uttered by every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, “Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.” At this blissful prospect the four living creatures said, “Amen.” And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshiped. And surely our hearts also will be bowed before God with adoration as we contemplate this glorious period when in the very scene of His sorrows and rejection Christ will be universally exalted and glorified.