Basic HTML Version
as .. the universe" (verse 8) .
In other words, for those willing
to believe wbat God says, he says
that he has decreed the entire uni–
verse- with all its galaxies, its
countless suns and planets--every–
thing- will be put under man's
subjection.
But
wait a moment!
Before you
disbelieve, read the next words in
the same eighth verse: "But now
we see
not yet
all things [the end–
less universe] put under him
[man] ." Remember (verse 5), this
is s peaking o f the ..world to
come"- not today's world . But
what do we see now, today? " But
we see Jesus, who was made a little
lower than the angels [or, " for a
litt le while lower" ] for the suffer–
ing of death, crowned with g lory
and honour. " Man, other than
Christ, is
NOT YET
"crowned with
glory and honour."
But see how Christ is already
crowned with glory and honor.
Continue: " For it became him, for
whom are
al/ things
[the ent ire
universe], and by whom are all
things, in bringing many sons unto
glory, to make the captain of their
saJvat ion perfect through suffer–
ings .... for which cause he
[Christ] is not ashamed to call
them brethren" (verses l 0-11) .
In other words, Christians hav–
ing God's Spir it are joint hei rs with
Christ to
INHERIT
aJl that Christ
already has inherited. He is now in
glory! He has already inherited the
entire universe. He
sustains
it by
his power. Man, if he is conver ted,
having God's Holy Spirit (Rom.
8:9), is now only an
HEIR- not
yet
a possessor.
But see now how Christ aJ ready
has been
crowned witb glory and
honor- and is already in posses–
sion- has aJready inherited . Begin
with Hebrews, chapter 1:
" God ... hath in these last days
spoken unto us by bis Son, whom
he hath appointed heir of all things
[the entire universe] , by whom also
he made the worlds; who being tbe
brightness of his glory, and the
express image of his person, and
upholding [sustaining] all things
[the enti re universe] by the word
of his power ..." (Heb. 1:1 -3).
The living Christ already sus–
tains the enti re universe by his lim–
itless divine power. The passage
November/ December 1986
continues to show his supenonty
over the angels- he is the begotten
and born Son of God- angels are
merely individually created beings.
Angels are now administering spir–
its (invisible to us), ministering to
us- to us who are now in lower
status than angels- but who are
heirs
of salvation, when we, like
Christ, shall become
born
sons of
God (Heb. 1:4-1 4) .
Outer Space-Pianets Now Dead
Now put this together with what is
reveaJed in the eighth chapter of
Romans.
Here it speaks of Christ as God's
Son: " ... that he might be tbe
firstborn
among many brethren"
(Rom. 8:29) . Huma ns, havi ng
God's Holy Spirit, are
heirs
of God
and joint heirs with Christ-wbo,
alone of aJI humans, has al ready
been boro as God's Son by a resur–
rection from the dead (Rom. 1:4).
He is the first of the human family
to be boro into the family of
God-the kingdom of God. He is
our pioneer who has gone on be–
fare. We shall follow at the resur–
rection of the just at Christ's re–
turo to earth in supreme power and
glory.
This eighth chapter of Romans,
verse 9, says if we have within us
the Holy Spirit of God we are bis
begotten sons, but if we do not
bave bis Spirit we are none of his–
not Christians at all. But verse 11
says that if we have God's Holy
Spirit growing within and leading
us we shall be raised from the dead
by bis Spirit- (or if living when
Christ comes we shall be changed
from mortal to immortal).
Now continue: " For as many as
are led by the Spirit of God, they
are the sons of God.... The Spirit
itself beareth witness with our
spirit, that we are the cbi ldren of
God: and if children, then heirs;
heirs of God, and joint-heirs with
Christ .. . also glorified together.
For 1 reckon that the sufferings of
this present time are not worthy to
be compared with the glory which
shall be revealed in us ..." (Rom.
8: 14-18).
Continue,
R evised Standard
Version:
" For the creation waits
with eager longing for tbe reveaJ–
ing of the sons of God; for the
creation [all the suns, planets,
stars, moons] was subjected to fu–
ti lity, not of its own wiU but by the
will of him who subjected it in
hope; because the creation itself
will be set free from its bondage to
decay and obtain the glorious lib–
erty of the children of God . We
know that the whole creation
[stars, suns and moons now in de–
cay and futility] has been groaning
in travail together until now; and
not only the c reation, but we
ourselves [we Spirit-begotten hu–
mans] , who have the first fruits of
t be Spirit [the very
FEW
now being
called to salvat ion-the ..first–
fruits"] , g roan inwardly as we wait
for
[birth]
as sons. . ."(verses 19-
23).
What an amazing marvelous rev–
elation of knowledge!
N o more amazing, awesome,
eye-opening passage could be writ–
ten!
It
is so astonishingly revealing,
one doesn' t fully grasp it just read–
ing quickly through.
First 1 quoted from verse 29 of
Romans 8 stating Christ
w
AS
the
firstboro of
MAN Y BRETHREN.
In He brews 1, we see that
Christ , the first human to be boro
by a resurrection from the dead,
has been glorified and now sustains
the entire universe. He is our Pio–
neer who has gone on ahead . At his
returo to earth in power and glory,
those who have been converted and
received God's Holy Spirit shall be
boro into the God family by a res–
urrection. Then the
entire universe
will be put into subjection
UNDER
them!
Then, from Romans 8,
if
we
have and are Jed by the Holy Spirit
of God, we sball be raised to Spirit
composition and immortaJity in the
God family even as Cbrist was in
A .D.
31 upon his resurrection.
Now once again from verse 19:
" For the creation waits with eager
longing for the revealing of the
sons of God" (RSV). This shall
happen after the time of the resur–
rection, when those who are human
actually become- by a resurrection
or instantaneous
change
from mor–
tal
flesh to Spirit immortality–
sons of God.
Astonlshlng?-Entire Universe to
Be Renewed
Now understand p lease .
Why
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