Day 145 Not Yet

5/25/2025

 "'You have put all things in subjection under his feet.'

For in that He put all in subjection under him. 

But now we do not yet see all things put under him."

Hebrews 2:8

Looking at this scripture may confuse some as to the exact meaning, how it pertains to the believer today. I admit there is much I do not understand and never will until I see Jesus face to face. But, I am becoming better with the "if" you obey Me, "then" I will do somethings in scripture, but today's verse found in Hebrews 2:8 seems paradoxical. The book of Hebrews' authorship is unknown, but it was written to encourage the believers in their faith, as they were being persecuted, others were getting lazy, or unsure, so they were thinking of going back to Judaism. In Chapter 1 of the epistle, the author begins with saying that in prior days God spoke to the people through the prophets, but now through His Son, Jesus Christ, who after accomplishing His purpose here on earth, saving us from our sins, has now ascended and is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Skipping down to verse 10, Jesus is identified as the one who was from the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and, since Jesus has now ascended to Heaven with God, it identifies man as being a little higher than the angels. Imagine that. 

The verse above speaks of Christ's taking back the world that was given to satan when Adam and Eve sinned, and making the church the head of the Body of Christ until His return. Jesus accomplished this once and for all by his death, burial and resurrection. He also gave us Holy Spirit to remind us of all Jesus taught while on each, and to give man the power or boldness to walk in the authority given us. So if He accomplished what He set out to do, which is: "For this reason the Son of God was revealed in order to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8), why is this world such a huge mess, and why is the devil still running around wreaking havoc on the world?! It's this way, He did His part, but the rest is up to us, until God says it is time to return Jesus back to earth to take us home. I, not being a theologian, may have completely understated the facts, but the bottom line, in my simple vernacular is He's in heaven, and we believers are still here, because He hasn't finished with us yet. The enemy is still running around with his third of the angels, now demons, trying to take as many with him as he can, while in many instances we, the church, are sitting on our proverbial seats letting him do it. I'm not going to address that, for the moment at least. 

Although He finished the work on the cross and said "It is finished," He's in heaven, and we are here. So what was seen or witnessed by many at the time, has not yet been witnessed by us here, not until God sends Him back to rapture the church. Actually, I don't have a difficult time with this, because later in Hebrews 11 we are told in verse 1 that "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." When I repeat these words in prayer, for emphasis, I interject the word "yet" between the words "not seen." We have faith based on what God's word says, even though the answer may not have come to pass - yet! In Hebrews 11 the writer speaks of the faith of many who followed God's word only, and they were rewarded because of their faith in what God.

Before Jesus died, in John 17, Jesus prays for Himself, then the disciples, and then beginning in verse 20, He prays for those who will believe based on the testimony of the apostles:

"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one; I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them" (John 17:20-26).

The believers of today, we who have accepted Christ as Savior and Lord, are those to whom Jesus refers. Kind of wonderful, isn't it?! To think that first of all God loved us enough to send His Son to die for us, so we could be clean enough to approach a holy God, and have an intimate relationship with our Father God in Heaven (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Since the beginning of time that is all God wanted from us - relationship, but Adam and Eve faltered, and here we are. The blood of cows and sheep and goats could never be enough to cover the continual sins of man from beginning to until life on earth ends, so God had a better plan, a better "blood," the death of His Son, Jesus: "...knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:18-19). 

Jesus became for the Jewish nation the Passover Lamb, but that also is a subject for another time. Suffice it to say that God keeps His promises, so we need to be obedient to His word and walk worthy of the high calling of Jesus Christ, who loved us so much that He was willing to come down from heaven, be born of a virgin, suffer and die although He did nothing to deserve it. He took our place, our ugly sins, and after being tortured beyond human recognition, in agonizing pain, He rose, just as He said He would, on the third day. He appeared to Mary Magdalene first, who told her to tell the disciples He had risen, then He appeared to them. During the time He was "dead," He visited Paradise with the thief who believed on the cross, where those who believed in Him from before (like David, Isaiah) were resting in death. He set captivity free and took back the keys of hell. The word says that when He arose, graves came open (Matthew 27:52), and the saints walked around. Before He ascended to Heaven, He appeared to the disciples, told them He was going to send them a Comforter - Holy Spirit, and for them to wait in Jerusalem until He came. Then He commissioned them to go into all the world and preach the gospel. As we can see in the book of Acts, they set the world on fire! So must we!

That's my quick run through the scriptures, just to say, He does what He says He will do, so what do we do?! We wait, and we do what He told us to do...go into all the world and teach the gospel, making disciples of them. We have so much work to do. We each have been given our gifts, our spheres of earthly influence, so we occupy until He returns. I can hardly wait to see Him! Be vigilant!