21-28 There is a nice symmetry in this: Death initially came by a man, and resurrection from death came by a man. Everybody dies in Adam; everybody comes alive in Christ. But we have to wait our turn: Christ is first, then those with him at his Coming, the grand consummation when, after crushing the opposition, he hands over his kingdom to God the Father. He won’t let up until the last enemy is down—and the very last enemy is death! As the psalmist said, “He laid them low, one and all; he walked all over them.” When Scripture says that “he walked all over them,” it’s obvious that he couldn’t at the same time be walked on. When everything and everyone is finally under God’s rule, the Son will step down, taking his place with everyone else, showing that God’s rule is absolutely comprehensive—a perfect ending!

Read full chapter

26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.(A) 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.”[a](B) Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ.(C) 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him,(D) so that God may be all in all.(E)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 15:27 Psalm 8:6