26 Psalm cx. 20-28. CHAPTER III. THE RESIGNATION OF THE KINGDOM. "He shall come again with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end." ST. PAUL says, that Jesus sat down on the Heb. x. 13. right hand of God, "from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool," evidently in allusion to the cxth Psalm: "Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool;" but 1 Cor. xv. which he more fully handles in 1 Cor. xv. 20-28, where the apostle, in discoursing of the resurrection, takes occasion to declare, that men will rise in different bands, of which he mentions two, one past, the other yet future; "Christ the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming; then the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to our God and Father." Now, I apprehend that the whole of the 1 Cor. xv. millennarian question turns upon what king Millenna rian question depends on 20. rians sup xv. 23, 24, periods. dom this is, which Messiah is to resign. Those who believe that Christ shall reign Millennaupon earth for a thousand years, understand pose 1 Cor. this passage to speak of three distinct marks three periods, dividing it in the following manner: "Christ the first-fruits," i. e. at the time of his resurrection; "afterward they that are Christ's at his coming,”—this is the second period, which we know, by experience, embraces a space of upwards of eighteen hundred years: "then the end,”— this they suppose will be a thousand years after the second advent; and they justify their supposition upon the fact, that the "afterward" in the former clause has embraced a so much longer period. Thus they make the resignation of the kingdom here spoken of to be at the end of the thousand years; and consequently they understand the kingdom, that will be resigned, to be the kingdom of David, or the subordinate throne. it denotes Others agree with the Millennarians in the Others say first two divisions, but make the delivery of only two. the kingdom to be immediately connected Whether the end be with the coming, making the "then" a note of time in the following manner :— _66 "Afterterward they that are Christ's at his coming; then," i. e. at that time, shall be "the end." And they, of course, make the resignation of "the kingdom" to be at the period of the second advent. If, now, we can fix what kingdom this is which Messiah is to resign, we shall be able sation, or of to determine what "end" is meant; that is, sand years. whether it be the end of this dispensation, the end of this dispen the thou or the end of the thousand years; for if the kingdom which he is to resign be the coordinate reign, it will be at the end of this dispensation; for we have already seen that, during this dispensation, Messiah is sitting co-ordinate upon the Father's throne, and that he will sit there until his enemies shall be under his feet: but if it be the subordinate reign which he shall surrender, then the time of its resignation may be at the end of the thousand years. Thus we shall determine whether the "then" denote a point or an interval of time, which is the real difference between the two interpre tations of 1 Cor. xv. 24. The assertion, that Messiah will deliver up the kingdom at Rev. xx. the expiration of the millennium, is grounded upon the assumption, that 1 Cor. xv. 24 synchronises with the latter part of the 20th chapter of the Apocalypse; but it is quite gratuitous to assume that the Corinthians could interpret the apostle's meaning by the revelation of St. John: indeed, without entering into any dispute as to the date of the Apocalypse, we may say, at least, that the probability must be greatly in favour of the passage in Corinthians having a sense Sense of complete in itself; and certainly the burden complete in of proof rests with those who maintain the contrary. We need not, however, remain satisfied with shewing that there is but an assumption on the one side, and the probability in favour of the other; for, by examination of the context, we shall be able to come to a satisfactory conviction. 1 Cor. xv. itself. not the sub The principal characteristic of this king- This reign dom is, that while the Son holds it, he is ordinate. not "subject," or subordinate, to the Father; for he becomes subordinate upon resigning 1 Cor. xv. 28. 1 Cor. xv. 24. it. "And when all [things] shall have been subjected unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subjected unto him, who has subjected all [things] under him." Now, as Christ shall give up the kingdom, "when he shall have abolished all rule," and when "all shall have been subjected," then, at that time, will he become subject to the Father, it seems to follow of necessity, that Messiah's resignation of the kingdom, and his becoming subject, are contemporaneous, and, indeed, that he becomes subject by the resignation of the kingdom. But we have already seen that the co-ordinate reign of Christ, viz. that in which he is not subHeb. viii. 1. ject to the Father, is when he sits " on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens," or when he sits in his Father's throne. Hence the throne resigned must be that of God the Father; or we may state it thus: The kingdom which Messiah is to resign is not the subordinate kingdom; The kingdom which is not subordinate is the kingdom of God; |