DRAWING NEAR
December 23
The Revelation of Man's Destiny
"He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning
which we are speaking. But one has testified somewhere, saying,
'What is man, that Thou rememberest him? Or the son of man, that
Thou art concerned about him? Thou hast made him for a little
while lower than the angels; Thou hast crowned him with glory
and honor, and hast appointed him over the works of Thy hands;
Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet.' For in
subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not
subject to him" (Heb. 2:5-8).
Man's original intended destiny was to be king of the earth.
When we look at the vast, seemingly endless universe and then think
about the little dot we call earth in the middle of it all, we cannot
help but wonder, "What is man? What right do we have to be so much on
God's mind?"
David had an answer: "Thou hast made him for a little while lower
than the angels . . . crowned him with glory and honor . . .
appointed him over the works of Thy hands . . . put all things in
subjection under his feet" (Heb. 2:6-8). The writer of Hebrews was
quoting one of the Psalms (Ps. 8:4-6) to show that God made man to be
king.
David undoubtedly penned his psalm based on what God said in the
beginning: "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;
and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the
sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every
creeping thing that creeps on the earth" (Gen. 1:26). God's original
design for man in his innocence was to be king over an undefiled
earth.
When God made Adam, who was pure and innocent, He gave Him honor and
glory. God crowned man king of the earth: "Thou hast put all things
in subjection under his feet" (Heb. 2:8). One day we again will be
given the right to rule the earth, and all God's creation will be put
under our feet.
Suggestion for Prayer:
Read Psalm 8 and offer it as your own praise to God.
For Further Study:
Read Daniel 7:18, 27 and note the extent of the saints' ultimate
rule.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Psalm 8 (NKJV)
1 O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who
have set Your glory above the heavens!
2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained
strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and
the avenger.
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon
and the stars, which You have ordained,
4 What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that
You visit him?
5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have
crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen; Even the beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through
the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
Daniel 7:18
18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and
possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.
Daniel 7:27
27 Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms
under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of
the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all
dominions shall serve and obey Him.
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
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and
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You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
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In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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