We will next notice that,— “3. The work of subduing His enemies is never, in the Scriptures, ascribed to Christ. Mr. Marsh’s third point is: ‘One grand object of His reign is to subdue, or destroy, His enemies.’ And Mr. Stephenson says, ‘Then the Son, having reigned until He has put all enemies under His feet, delivers up the kingdom.’ Yet, notwithstanding this opinion is advanced with such confidence (and upon it, indeed, the whole theory of the age to come rests), it is altogether unscriptural. “In 1 Cor. 15: 23–28, as in Zech. 6: 12, 13, there are two persons brought to view, and the pronouns ‘he’ and ‘him’ refer to both, and so they must be referred, to preserve the sense of the text, and to harmonize it with other scriptures. The view advocated by Messrs. Marsh and Stephenson, and others of like faith, contradicts other passages, and destroys the sense of this. To show the utter absurdity of the idea that Christ subdues His enemies, and puts them under His feet, in that or any age, I will quote the text, leaving out the pronouns and inserting the name according to that view. It will then read: ‘Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at Christ’s coming. Then cometh the end, when Christ shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when Christ shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For Christ must reign, till Christ hath put all enemies under Christ’s feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For Christ hath put all things under Christ’s feet. But when Christ saith all things are put under Christ, it is manifest that Christ is excepted, which did put all things under Christ. And when all things shall be subdued unto Christ, then shall the Son [Christ] also himself be subject unto Christ that put all things under Christ, that God may be all in all.’” “This is worse, far worse, than nonsense; yet how will the age-to-come believer avoid accepting this as the substance of his faith? It is evident that Christ becomes subject to Him that puts all things under Him; and if He subdues His enemies, and puts them under His own feet, as they declare, then it is equally evident that He becomes subject to himself! Against this fallacy I present the truth that,— “4. The Father subdues the enemies of Christ, and puts them under His feet. Before I bring other scriptures to bear on this fact, I will give another rendering of the text, supposing this declaration to be true:— “‘Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at Christ’s coming. Then cometh the end, when Christ shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when the Father shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For Christ must reign, till the Father hath put all things under Christ’s feet. But when the Father saith all things are put under Christ, it is manifest that the Father is excepted, which did put all things under Christ. And when all things shall be subdued unto Christ, then shall the Son [Christ] also himself be subject unto the Father that put all things under Christ, that God may be all in all.’” “With the beauty and truthfulness of this view, all must be struck at a glance. The error of the other view is in referring the pronouns to Christ throughout, when it is evident that they refer to both Father and Son immediately after both are introduced in verse 24. As it is clear that the Father puts all things under the Son, we come next to notice when and where this work is accomplished. Is it during the one thousand years, while Christ is on the throne of David?—It is not; but,— “5. Christ rules on the throne and in the kingdom of the Father until His enemies are put under His feet. Mr. Marsh has laid great stress on his construction of this text, considering it sufficient to prove his whole theory. But his construction is wrong, and his theory baseless. Others besides him have used this text as a stronghold; but with the establishment of this truth in regard to the reign, all claims of the age to come on this text are forever put at rest; and a mass of parallel scriptures, urged by the writers on that theory, are taken out of their hands, and arrayed in favor of the truth that the enemies of Christ will be ‘dashed in pieces’ at His coming. “Now that Christ is to reign as king in two localities, that is, occupy two thrones, is proved by Rev. 3: 21: ‘To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne.’ Thus, while Christ is on the throne of the Father, He is only in expectation of His own throne. That this is the past and present position of our exalted Head, is further proved by Heb. 8: 1: ‘We have such an High Priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.’ And that that is where He will reign till all enemies are put under His feet is clearly proved by the Scriptures. Ps. 110: 1: ‘The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.’ This is quoted by Jesus, as recorded by the Gospels (Matt. 22: 44; Mark 12: 36; Luke 20: 42, 43); and also by Peter (Acts 2: 34, 35), in his argument on the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus: ‘For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool.’ This is a sure application of David’s prophecy, and proves the location of the reign (until His foes are made His footstool) to be ‘in the heavens,’ where Jesus is ascended. I hope the enemies of the truth will no longer408mock at this, by derisively calling it a ‘sky kingdom,’ but remember that God is there, sitting upon the throne of His own holiness; for ‘the Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all.’ Ps. 103: 19. “Paul makes mention of the same in Heb. 1: 13, in remarking on the superiority of Christ to angels; and again, in his argument concerning the work of Christ as priest on His Father’s throne, says, ‘But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool.’ Heb. 10: 12, 13. This point is established beyond the possibility of doubt; and the true sense of this scripture clearly appears, Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming. Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the mediatorial kingdom to God, even the Father; when the Father shall have put down all rule, and all authority, and power [that is opposed to Christ]; for Christ must reign on the Father’s throne, till His [Christ’s] enemies are put under His feet, or made His footstool. Then the Son delivers up, or leaves, the throne of the universe, and takes His own throne in subjection to that of His Father. It thus appears that,— “6. Christ delivers up that kingdom, or leaves the Father’s throne, and receives the throne of David, before His coming. The first part of this proposition is proved by the text. And that He takes the throne of David, or His own throne, before His return to the earth, has also been proved in our argument on the kingdom. But the views of our opponents should be further noticed, as on this point they directly conflict with the plainest scriptures. Luke 19: 12, 15, says: ‘A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.’ ‘And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom.’ The receiving of the kingdom is first; His return follows it; and His receiving the kingdom in this text is the same as that of Dan. 7: 13, 14, and both are identical with ‘all things being put under Christ.’ And it has been shown that He sits at His Father’s right hand till this is accomplished. But Mr. Marsh, giving the age-to-come sense of Dan. 7: 13, 14, quotes the text, and comments as follows:— “‘I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him.’” “‘The order laid down is—
‘a. Coming of the Son of man.
‘b. Giving the Son of man dominion, glory, and a kingdom.
‘c. All people, nations, and languages, and all dominions [rulers], serve and obey the Son of man, the Lord and King of the whole earth.’—‘Age to Come, page 13.” “It is not very surprising that a superficial reading of 1 Cor. 15: 23–28 should produce such a view as that advanced by Messrs. Marsh and Stephenson; but no one, however superficial, can possibly read the advent of Christ out of Dan. 7: 13, 14, unless it be first assumed that the Ancient of days is on the earth prior to the second advent; for He came to the Ancient of days, and was brought near before Him. But Mr. Marsh’s view would make it read that He came from the Ancient of days, and was taken far away from Him to receive the kingdom. And, were it even assumed that the Ancient of days shall be on the earth, that view would not then harmonize with Luke 19 and other scriptures, which teach that He has received the kingdom at the time of His second advent. His receiving the kingdom is identical with ‘the marriage of the Lamb,’ which takes place before He comes; as the ‘little flock’ ‘wait for their Lord when He will return from the wedding.’ Luke 12: 36. And then will they be taken to the mansions prepared in the ‘Father’s house,’ where they will sit down at the marriage supper. There can be no difference between His receiving the kingdom and having His enemies put under His feet; they must be identical. But there is a great difference between having His enemies put under Him, and His destroying them. In 1 Cor. 15: 28 the same Greek word is used to express the subduing of all things to the Son, and the subjection of the Son to the Father: ‘And when all things shall be subdued [hupotasso] unto Him, then shall the Son also himself be subject [hupotasso] unto Him that put all things under Him.’ The order of the events is given in Ps. 2: 8, 9: (1) The Father gives them to the Son; (2) the Son breaks them with a rod of iron, and dashes them in pieces, as has been shown takes place at His coming. “7. Death, the last enemy of them that are Christ’s, will be destroyed, or swallowed up in victory, at His coming. After having arrived at the true sense of the text in other respects, there is left but little chance for controversy on this point. No one will deny that the resurrection of the righteous to immortality is the same as death being swallowed up in victory. See 1 Cor. 15: 53, 54. And it is only as the enemy of the saints that death is destroyed; the wicked will never be released from death—the second death. If they are, they must have a second resurrection. Whiting renders verse 24, Death will be conquered. The expressions ‘conquered,’ or ‘destroyed,’ and ‘swallowed up in victory,’ appropriately refer to the last enemy of the saints, but not to that of the wicked. Dr. Clarke says: ‘Death shall be destroyed; katargeitai: shall be counterworked, subverted, and finally overturned. But death cannot be destroyed by there being simply no further death; death can only be destroyed and annihilated by a general resurrection.’ This is true, and will so appear to all who have considered death as it is in truth, simply the opposite, or absence, of life, and not as an entity. It is by the resurrection that the saints get their victory over death. And this view is indorsed by those who endeavor to maintain their theory of the age to come by this scripture. Mr. Stephenson, in his work on the Atonement, page 64, says, ‘The Bible leaves all the wicked under the dominion of the second death, from which it offers no hope of a resurrection.’ Of course they have no victory over death, and of course the text cannot refer to them; which proves again that it does not refer to the end of the one thousand years, but to the time of the second advent, when the saints will be redeemed, and will put on immortality.”