Christ’s supremacy in the coming age opens out before us the blessed consequences of His humiliation and death upon the cross. For example, we read in Philippians 2, “He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a [or ‘the’] name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:8-118And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:8‑11)).
Earth, Heaven and Under the Earth
In Psalm 8, His dominion does not appear to go wider than the whole earth, but when we come to the epistle to the Ephesians, it is evident that the circle is enlarged to include things in heaven as well as things upon earth. It accordingly runs, “That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things [better, ‘head up’ all things] in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth” (Eph. 1:1010That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (Ephesians 1:10)). Then also, if we refer again to Philippians 2, we find that things under the earth are also to be subjected to Christ. Of the limits of His sway there will be no end, for nothing is excepted, as Paul teaches, save Him, God the Father, who put all things under Him (1 Cor. 15:2727For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. (1 Corinthians 15:27)).
This will help us to understand the meaning of the words, “He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things” (Eph. 4:1010He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) (Ephesians 4:10)), for when all things in the universe are put under His feet, He will surely flood them all with the light and blessedness of His own glory.
Of the vast universe of bliss,
The Center Thou and Sun;
The eternal theme of praise is this,
To heaven’s beloved One:
Worthy, O Lamb of God, art Thou
That every knee to Thee should bow.
The Source
There are several scriptures that reveal the source of this gift of all things to Christ. The Apostle John, as guided by the Spirit of God, says, “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand” (John 3:3535The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. (John 3:35)). John reveals directly the Father’s delight in the Son as the fount and source of the gift. This divine complacency in the Son is strikingly illustrated in another scripture, as also the delight of the Son in the Father. Answering the Jews who were seeking to kill Him, “because He not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God,” the Lord said, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth Him all things that Himself doeth” (John 5:18-2018Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. 19Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. 20For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. (John 5:18‑20)). It is true that it is of Christ as the Son that these things are said, but surely it is of the Son as become man. It was because of the Father’s complacency in His beloved Son that He has decreed that all things should be put under His feet.
There are two grounds of the bestowal upon Christ of this universal supremacy. In the first place, it was God’s answer to man’s rejection. Yes, it was through the sufferings of the cross that Christ reached His throne. It is on this account that in Revelation 5, where the Lord takes the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne, He is seen as “a Lamb as it had been slain.” The aspect presented, however, in John’s Gospel is that the gift proceeds from the Father’s heart according to His eternal counsels for the glory of His beloved Son. Therefore the Son of Man must be lifted up before He can take up His inheritance. What a subject for meditation! And how plain it is that all God’s thoughts circle around His beloved Son!
The Various Steps
The various steps the Lord takes before He assumes His inheritance are pointed out very clearly in Hebrews 2, where Psalm 8 is cited, interpreted and applied. Here is the whole passage: “Unto the angels hath He not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that Thou visitest Him? Thou madest Him a little lower than the angels; Thou crownedst Him with glory and honor, and didst set Him over the works of Thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under His feet. For in that He put all in subjection under Him, He left nothing that is not put under Him. But now we see not yet all things put under Him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Heb. 2:5-95For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. 6But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? 7Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: 8Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. 9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. (Hebrews 2:5‑9)).
The point of the Apostle is to show that, according to Psalm 8, the world to come is put under man, not angels. Then he exclaims, “But now we see not yet all things put under Him.” How then was the psalm to be fulfilled? This he goes on to demonstrate: “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower that the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor.” Jesus then is the Man, the Son of Man (which Adam was not), under whom all things are to be put.
The steps are now given by which Christ as the Son of Man attains His supremacy. The first of these is His incarnation, expressed in striking language: “Made a little lower than the angels.” This could only apply to the form which our blessed Lord was pleased to take when He came into this world, to the body, in fact, which God had prepared for Him. Paul tells us that, in our blessed Lord’s stoop from the highest height to the lowest depth, He took upon Him the form of a bondsman (Phil. 2). Surely then He was made a little lower than the angels, and our hearts might well pause to admire and adore, as we think of this grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, though He was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that we through His poverty might be rich.
The Suffering of Death
The next step is manifestly His death: “Made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death.” There were two reasons for the suffering of death in the Lord’s pathway to His exaltation and supremacy in the world to come. In Hebrews 1 we read that He was appointed “heir of all things,” and hence it was a divine necessity that He should take up all the liabilities that lay upon His inheritance before He could possess it. This, in fact, is implied in the clause in verse 9 — “that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man [thing]” — not only for every man, but also for everything that went to make up His inheritance. In Colossians 1:2020And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. (Colossians 1:20) is also found the other, the first and foremost, ground for the suffering of death — having made peace by the blood of His cross, through glorifying God concerning the sin which had come into the world. On this foundation God can righteously come in and bring everything into suitability to Himself, so that He can rest in perfect complacency and delight in the whole scene which has been subject to Christ and which He will irradiate with the effulgence of His glory.
“It Became Him”
A word or two may be given upon the remarkable connection of this scripture. After saying “that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man,” the Apostle proceeds: “It became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (vs. 10). The significant point is the introduction of the “many sons” whom God is bringing unto glory, in connection with the “all things,” thus opening out the whole scope of the purposes of God, whether in regard to the “all things” or to the “many sons” who are under the leadership of the Captain of their salvation. It is, we cannot doubt, to teach that it was requisite for the glory of God in the accomplishment of His purposes (“it became Him”) that the Lord Jesus should pass through the suffering of death. It was in this way that an immutable basis was laid for the establishment of the universe of bliss, wherein all the glory of God will be displayed and where Christ will be the Center and Sun of all. We also observe the association and identification of Christ with the “many sons” as another reason of His being made perfect through sufferings, for both “He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren.”
E. Dennett (adapted)