Until
I Make Thy Foes Thy Footstool
Randall Walton
It is imperative
for the people of God to understand the present office which Jesus holds, as well as their own positioon, rights, privileges, and obligations
in the church. We believe we are living in a time of spiritual awakening when
the Saints are being aroused from a long sleep, during
which time their enemy was able to carry on a great work of subversion and sabotage. ((Matt. 25:5 (they all slumbered and slept);
Matt. 13:25 (while men slept, his enemy came and sowed
tares)). Slowly, but surely, God's people are beginning to
realize that the church was meant to be more than a place for religious activities and worship services: itt was to have been a power house
against which the gates of hell could not prevail, a city set on a hill, a light to
the world, a refuge in time of storm.
With Jesus at the right hand of thhe Father possessing "all power
in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28:18), and having endued the church with
power from on high, all the necessary machinery was set in
order for the fulfillment of that high and heavenly calling.
Peter stated this
promise succinctly in Acts 2:33 where he says, "Therefore being by the right hand of
God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost he
hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear!' It is clear that Peter was referring
to the manifestation of the Holy Ghost outpouring as "this, which ye now see and
hear!' It is also plain that "this" the promise of the Father was the
means by
which the church should fulfill her mission. Jesus taught the disciples that it was necessary for
Himself to "go away" in order that the Comforter would come to direct the work
of the church. (John 16:7-16; 14:16-26)
"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" (Act
2:34, 35)
Take
special notice of the fact that Jesus will remain at the right hand of the
"Lord" until his enemiees become His footstool! He will not
return to earth nor leave His position in heaven UNTIL this prophecy is
fulfilled. In the meanwhile, the great work of the church is directed by the
Holy Spirit, who not only dwells among the people of God, but also abides
within them.
There are several
verses which bear witness to these amazing truths: Heb. l:3b, "... when he had by himself purged our sins,
sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:"
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;"
Heb. 9:24 "For Christ is not entered into the
holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven
itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:"
There is therefore no
doubt as to the present position which Jesus holds: He is at the right hand of
the Father and He will remain there until All His enemies have become His
footstool.
But
let us consider what the Scriptures say concerning His enemies: Eph.
1:20-22"... when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the
heavenly places, Far above all
principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is
named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be
the head over all things to the church!'
Notice
that all things have been put "under his feet," but they have not
been made His
footstool! A footstool is inert, impotent, unable to move or act; however,
these enemies "under his feet" do have some mobility. They are able
to squirm and make
noise, there are certain activities
which they can engage in (which we'll discuss later.
Heb. 10:12,13, "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice
for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool!' The word "exppecting" is the same as
"waiting!' He is waiting for His enemies to be made His footstool. Notice
that it does not say "until He makes His enemy
His footstool',' but rather, until they be made His footstool! I Peter 3:22, "Who is gone into heaven, and
is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him!' The words
"being made" are in the perfect tense which is the equivalent of
"having been made subject" or as the NIV states it: "with angels,
authorities and powers in submission to him!' I Cor. 15:27,28, "For he hath put all things under his feet. But
when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is
excepted, which did put all things under him.
And when all things shall be SUBDUED unto him, then shall the Son also himself be
subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all!'
The word "subdued" is off supreme importance in this study.
Notice that all things are under Jesus' feet, but not all are subdued unto him.
Verse 24 states it this way: "when he
shall have put down all rule, and all authority and power!' Thayer's Lexicon says that this term means, "to render idle,
inactive, to deprive of strength, force, influence and power!'<
When all of His enemies have becomme His footstool, they will fit that
description: "idle, inactive, deprived of strength,
force, influence and power!' However, it is very evident that His enemies at
the present time are active and they do have strength, influence, and power,
even though they are under His feet! Not until they are subdued, put down, and have become His foottstool, can it be said that they are
idle, inactive, deprived of strength, influence, and power.
It would be well at this point to identify some of the enemies of the Lord. We all know that the greatest enemy of God and man is the Devil (Matt. 13:39), but it is also a fact that there are many evil spirits (devils or demons, Luke 10:17-19) which are in constant warfare against humankind. Paul classified these spirits as "principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness (or wicked spirits) in high places!' He stated that we wrestle, or struggle, against these enemies.
Paul also designated the carnal mind as an enemy (Rom.8:7), and said we have been given certain weapons with which to wage war and bring every thought into subjection (II Cor. 10:3-5).
Another enemy which is very active at the present (even though it is under Jesus' feet) is death (I Cor. 15:26). Paul declared that Jesus "abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:!' (Tim. 1:10), yet we are witnesses that death is claiming the lives of both saint and sinner alike. Paul said that the last enemy which shall be destroyed is death,: so we understand that while this enemy continues to work, it is under the feet of Jesus (Rev. 1:18), and it will become His footstool — inactive, idle, without strength, influence or power.
Since Jesus is at the right hand oof the Father in heaven, and will
remain there until His enemies are rendered inactive, how
will this great task ever be accomplished? Who is responsible
to see that it is done?
Acts 2:34,35
states: "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I
make thine enemies thy footstool!' God the Father, then, has charged Himself
with the responsibility of seeing that the mission is completed. It must be
noted, however, that God has always used human agencies through which to
manifest Himself and His great power and wisdom, and this case is no exception.
Paul testified
that: "to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from
the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by
Jesus Christ: To the intent that NOW UNTO THE PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS IN
HEAVENLY PLACES MIGHT BE KNOWN BY THE CHURCH THE MANIFOLD WISDOM OF GOD!' Eph.
3:9-11. The final responsibility then, rests upon God's people, upon whom this
task was laid by the Living God! Only the zeal of the Lord can perform such a
monumental show of power and glory as is necessary for such prowess.
But let us not
suppose that the Father has delegated for the Church an impossible endeavor.
All of the power which is necessary for the Church to make the enemies of Jesus
Christ His footstool, has already been granted unto it! The following passages
of Scriptures will reveal just how far the Church lives below its rights,
privileges, and obligations.
The Church
Triumphant
"Forasmuch
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise
took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the
power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to " (Hebrews 2:14,15). These are
two of the most powerful verses in the Bible. They declare emphatically the
present state of the devil as well as that of the "children" of God.
The devil has not been annihilated, but has been made powerless under the feet
of Jesus. There are certain limitations which are placed upon him and his work.
The person who is under the blood of Jesus, who stands upon the word and claims
the power of the Blood, has victory over the devil and all the power he claims
(I Cor. 15:57). Neither does he fear death, because he has been delivered from
the fear of it!
In Revelation
12:7-11, John tells us about a war which was waged in the heavenly realm, in
which the devil was cast out of heaven, along with his angels, all of whom were
cast into the earth. "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is
come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his
Christ: for the accuser of the brethren is cast down, which accused them before
our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by
the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death!'
This fully agrees with the verses in Hebrews 2;14,15.
Take notice that
the brethren must overcome the accuser, that is, the devil.
This word,
overcome, means to conquer, subdue, or get the victory! And they do this with
weapons which are already at their disposal: the blood of the Lamb, and the
word of their testimony. Notice also that with the casting of Satan out of
heaven, four elements of supernatural authority were made available to the
brethren: salvation (deliverance), strength (power (dunamis)), the kingdom
(ruler ship), power (authority jurisdiction).
Actually, then,
the brethren (the Church) are to exercise complete authority over the devil and
his angels, NOW! This is the triumphant church, the church anointed
and filled with
all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19). It is given to the church to conquer,
subdue, and make the devil and his angels a footstool for Jesus Christ!
Impossible? Nothing shall be impossible to them who believe God's word.
John
substantiates this promise in 1 John 2:14b, where he says, "I have written
unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you,
and ye have overcome the wicked one I John 5:18 "We know that whosoever is
born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and
that wicked one toucheth him not!'
Malachi 4:2,3
"But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with
healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the
stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the
soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts!'
Luke 10:17-19 "And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even
the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I
beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to
tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and
nothing shall by any means hurt you!' I Cor. 6:2,3 "Do ye not know that
the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are
ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge
angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?"
In the light of
these tremendous proclamations, it is understandable why Paul stated that
"we are more than conquerors through him that loved us!' Romans 8:37 Great
is the power which the sons of God have inherited through and with Jesus
Christ, the Captain of their salvation (Romans 8:16,17).
The Lord gave
the prophet Daniel a revelation of many of the events of the time of the end.
In chapter 7, verses 21 and 22, we read this: "I beheld, and the same horn
made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days
came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came
that the saints possessed the kingdom!' Sleeping saints can possess nothing,
but as we stated earlier, there is evidence of an awakening taking place among
the saints of the Most High. As God's people arouse, and their understanding is
enlightened concerning the glorious truths of the kingdom of God, and the
authority and power which God has vested in His Church, they will see the
kingdoms of this world begin to crumble and fall, and the devil and all his
hosts shall retreat under the attack of the armies of the Living God.
Even now, those
who have an ear to hear, can discern the "going in the tops of the
mulberry trees" as the power of the Holy Spirit moves among the saints to
anoint their minds with the truth which for so long have been trodden under the
feet of ecclesiasticism, churchanity, and the spirit of slumber.
"Arise,
shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon
thee" (Isaiah 60:1).
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