Let’s take a look at the next five verses.
5 For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. 6 But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? 7 Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: 8 thou hast pur all things in subjugation under his feet. For in that he put all things in subjugation under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the gracd of God should taste death for every man.
God did not subject anything to the rule of any angels. But all things are subject to the rule of Jesus Christ. The preacher quotes Psalm 8 where David is praising Jesus, “Jesus my Lord, how wonderful is Your Name in all the Earth!” Verses 4-6 are directly quoted here. Notice the title David used for Christ, Son of Man. This is the name by which Enoch knew Jesus before Jesus’ birth. Jesus uses this title for Himself extensively throughout the Gospels. In the book of Enoch, God the Father introduces the Son of Man to Enoch as a proud papa showing off his beloved son.
How is it that this Son of Man became a little lower than the angels? He placed His will under the will of the Father and took upon Himself the fleshly form of a man. The miracle of the incarnation of God is ineffably mysterious. This being outside of creation, transcendent of creation, entered creation in the form of a creature, interacted with other creatures on a human level, was falsely accused, convicted and condemned by humans, and suffered the most heinous judicial execution devised by humans. He did this voluntarily, so that humans will be released from the bondage to death that compels us to sin.
Saint Paul tells us that death took control of our lives when Adam willfully disobeyed the commands of God and partook in the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. From that time to Jesus, death held dominion over humanity. When Jesus, God made flesh, died and entered into death, death burst from the inability to contain Him Who is infinite. He did this for all things (the Greek word rendered every man is mistranslated here, pantos could mean all men if the subject of the discussion was limited to male human beings. But the preacher is talking about a more extensive atonement, and the rendering should have been the literal meaning, everything that exists.).
Jesus returned to Heaven after his necrotic sojourn to be crowned with glory and honor and authority in direct consequence of His voluntary death and resurrection. None of the angels have been so crowned, although one of them has tried to usurp that crown. None of the angels has been so honored, although that same one covets the honor. None of the angels has been given such authority, although the one we speak of is trying to usurp it. Only Jesus, Enoch’s Son of Man, has attained that place, because it was His before the first created thing came into being.
Along with the first chapter of the Gospel According to John, this passage is the most clear reference to the divinity of Jesus Christ outside of Christ’s own words. Do you think that if God came to Earth and lived with people for about thirty-three years, died by execution in an obviously false case of sedition, and rose from the dead, people would listen to Him? Well most still don’t. Some who sit on the front pews of the churches refuse to follow what He taught. And this is the most powerful being there is.
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