Our last lesson was upon “the world to come,” and its relation to the preaching of the Gospel. The Gospel is not committed to angels, because unto them God has not put in subjection the world to come. The Gospel is the power of God to salvation, to every one who believes; the power of God is seen in the things that He has made, for creation is the measure of God’s power; the object of the Gospel is to restore what has been lost;—to create anew;—therefore its power is the same as that which created the world in the beginning. The earth was given to man in the beginning, and therefore to man is committed the work that will restore it; but as the power that restores it is the same power that was given man over it in the beginning, it follows that its power is the power of the world to come; for the world to come is the world that was in the beginning.
We considered the extent of the dominion that God gave men when He created him. All the power of God, so far as it concerned this earth, was to be exhibited through man. The birds, the beasts, the fishes, the very earth itself, all were subject to man. The dominion was complete.
“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.” Hebrews 2.8, 9
When certain Greeks ones came to Philip, saying, “Sir, we would see Jesus,” and Philip brought them to Him, Jesus said, “The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say unto you, unless a grain of wheat fall into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” John 12.23, 24. This is the subject that we have before us in our present lesson, for in few words it shows us Jesus giving all and gaining all.
Our attention has been directed to man in his original glory and honor, with all things under him. But as we look at his estate we suddenly see the dominion lost.
The Dominion Lost.—For “now we see not yet all things put under him.” As we look, we see him fall, and instead of having the world under him, he has it all upon him. Instead of ruling the world, the world rules him. From the highest place, he sinks to the lowest place. We are now talking of man; whatever low place any person has been known to be in, and whatever baseness an individual descended to, is only an exhibition of how low man has fallen. It is only lack of opportunity, or better circumstances that, aside from the grace of God, hold any individuals in the world back from exhibiting the same disgusting vileness that is seen in the lowest specimens. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3.23. The dominion was one of glory and honor, because man was “crowned with glory and honor.” Therefore it is plain to see that the loss of the glory, on account of sin, was in itself the loss of the dominion.