Angelic Conflict part 73: Angelology 101 – Heb 2:5-14; Phil 2:8-11; Gal 4:3-7; Luk 10:17-20.
length: 66:00 - taught on May, 9 2013
Class Outline:
Title: Angelic Conflict part 73: Angelology 101 - HEB 2:5-14; Phil 2:8-11; GAL 4:3-7; LUK 10:17-20.
We established last night the changing of the sovereigns or kings of the earth from man to satan and then back to man, and in particular one man, the humanity of Jesus Christ. We also established and documented that the believers in Jesus Christ will share in his sovereignty over the earth and so through Him are thus placed again as rulers of the earth under Him as supreme ruler, thus the title King of kings and Lord of lords as His new name as head of the Church [now I know why I like basil so much = royal plant or king of herbs; Greek: basileuo (v); basileus (n)]. This sharing of rulership is not identical for Israel and the Church. Israel will once again be established as God’s client nation for a thousand years in fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant and they will move on into eternity as the Lord’s nation, but under the title “the friend of the bridegroom.” The Church, however, being the kings and lords as well as the bride of Christ and in union with Christ will share with Him a greater authority, although how this may be exercised in eternity is not revealed. Satan and the fallen angels along with all unbelievers will find their destiny in the Lake of Fire and the elect angels will serve men. Once completed there will never again be conflict, sin, or evil. We will all be non posse pecarre - not able to sin.
We also established that Christ never became an angel and so then any atonement of angels is very much in question. But since He did take upon Himself flesh and blood He has redeemed man and has conquered death, which was the main fear under which satan held the human race as his subjects. Satan has been dethroned, but he has been allowed to remain as the god of this world for a time so that the Church, the called out mystery, could reveal the glory of Christ and His victory to the world, right under satan’s nose, in the midst of his evil and perverse reign.
Thus we return to Heb 2.
HEB 2:5 For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking.
HEB 2:6 But one has testified somewhere [PSA 8:4-6], saying,
"What is man, that Thou rememberest him?
Or the son of man, that Thou art concerned about him?
HEB 2:7 "Thou hast made him for a little while lower than the angels;
Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor,
And hast appointed him over the works of Thy hands;
HEB 2:8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. "
[pause]For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.
At the close of the Psa 8 quote we have a wonderfully subtle, but not so subtle transition to TLJC, the last Adam.
What was lost to the first Adam has now and is being now made subject to Christ, and it is for this reason that this verse is quoted multiple times in the Bible.
The Lord says to my Lord:
"Sit at My right hand,
Until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet."
The footstool of the Lord is the earth, and so it has be reclaimed for man, specifically for believers.
Thus says the Lord,
“Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool.”
“But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet,”
HEB 2:9 But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels [last Adam], namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor [right hand of God], that by the grace of God He might taste death [cup of the sins of the world] for everyone.
Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.
Man was created lower than the angels. The Son of God voluntarily took a position lower than the angels so that He might taste death for everyone.
Concerning the implication of Christ’s spiritual death on the physical death of believers John Chrysostom writes:
As a physician first tastes his medicines to encourage his patient to take them, so Christ, when all men feared death, to persuade them to be bold in meeting it, tasted it Himself, though He had no need' [Chrysostom]
Hold your place:
PHI 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
PHI 2:9 Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
PHI 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth,
Theologians have struggled to determine the occurrence of these genuflections. But it seems that all the parties mentioned do not have to bow at the same time, but they all will bow. Why? Jesus Christ has reclaimed what was lost and so He is exalted above all men and angels.
PHI 2:11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Back to:
HEB 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.
The Jews of Christ’s time had missed that He would have to be the suffering Savior first and then would possess His rightful throne.
just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.
The use of the word sons rather than children is significant: Hold
GAL 4:3 So also we, while we were children [literally - without the power of speech meaning childish or infants], were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world.
GAL 4:4 But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,
GAL 4:5 in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons [Roman adoption was for 14 or older who was responsible].
GAL 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"
GAL 4:7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.
Back to :
HEB 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author [bring to completeness the Prince-Ruler] of their salvation through sufferings.
“perfect the author” = bring to completenessconsummation the Prince-Ruler [archegos = captain or prince].
Same word is used in:
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author [Prince-Ruler] and perfecter [completer] of faith, who for the joy set before Him [in the place of His present joy] endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
HEB 2:11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
In “brethren” Christ becomes the Elder Son which is a human family that are “one,” or in union, and they with a single Father. Angels are excluded from this.
Christ’s sonship is by generation while ours is of adoption, and though we are not of the same origin, Him being from heaven and we from the earth, He is not ashamed to call us brethren as He took upon Himself the same flesh and blood.
Therefore our father is no longer the first Adam, nor even Abraham, but God the Father, the Father of Christ’s humanity and of every CA believer.
Christ unites for us such amazing contrasts as husband and brother, Master and friend, high priest and King, and though we are His slaves we are free.
This was prophesied in the famous, Messianic PSA 22:22.
HEB 2:12 saying,
"I will proclaim Thy name to My brethren,
In the midst of the congregation I will sing Thy praise."
This is stated in Psa 22 directly after the prophesied suffering of the cross. So this is a direct result of the resurrection, ascension, and session.
Now ISA 8:17-18.
HEB 2:13 And again,
"I will put My trust in Him."
And again,
"Behold, I and the children [now children in reference to ownership] whom God has given Me."
HEB 2:14 Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same [voluntarily], that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil;
but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel
We also see here that satan has or had a certain power, and to take back what he took we must be more powerful than him, and we are through Christ.
"Or how can anyone enter the strong man's house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he [Christ] will plunder his house.
Power will only succumb to a greater power, and then only reluctantly.
LUK 10:17 And the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."
LUK 10:18 And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.
LUK 10:19 "Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you.
LUK 10:20 "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven."
Go back:
HEB 2:14 Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same [voluntarily], that through death He might render powerless [inoperative] him who had the power of death, that is, the devil;
HEB 2:15 and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"
Christ, by delivering us from God's curse against our sin, has taken from death all that made it formidable. Death, viewed apart from Christ, can only fill with horror.
HEB 2:16 For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.
“help” - evpilamba,nomai[epilambanomai; present middle indicative] = to take hold of or to lay hold of.
Go to:
Same word is used in:
Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers
On the day when I took them [epilambanomai] by the hand
To lead them out of the land of Egypt [slavery in the world];
For they did not continue in My covenant [Mosaic],
And I did not care for them, says the Lord.
HEB 8:10 "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws into their minds,
And I will write them upon their hearts.
And I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.
HEB 8:11 "And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen,
And everyone his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,'
For all shall know Me,
From the least to the greatest of them.
HEB 8:12 "For I will be merciful to their iniquities,
And I will remember their sins no more."
Does that passage look familiar to you? It is the new covenant of JER 31:31-34.
For, as is well known, He does not take hold of angels for the purpose of helping them, but of the offspring of Abraham He takes hold, with a view to succoring [to give assistance in time of need or distress] them. [An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest]
The offspring of Abraham is not the Jews only, but also all Gentiles who have believed in the same way as Abraham, the father of our faith.
and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be reckoned to them,
HEB 2:17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Love motivated Christ to propitiate [hilaskomai - verb] the Father’s justice. So love and justice combine at the cross.
Our contact with God before the fall was love, as we were perfect, but after the fall our contact became justice, but Christ, our Comforter, our Propitiator justified all who believe in Him.
and He Himself is the propitiation [hilasmos - noun] for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
Justice demanded judgment of sin and love and judgment combined at the cross so that the believer is justified.
"Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer.
"The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, 'God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer. 'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.'
"But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful [be propitiated - hilaskomai (aor pass imp)] to me, the sinner!'
Christ, the high priest, offered the sacrifice while the word “King” was written above His head. He is our merciful and faithful high priest as well as our King at the right hand of God.
And Pilate wrote an inscription also, and put it on the cross. And it was written, "JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS."
Iesus Nazarenus rex Iudaeorum [Vulgate]
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