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Tuesday 13 January 2009

God is mindful of man

We know that angels are far more powerful and superior creatures than human beings. They are spiritual beings and normally do not need a material body to execute their mission. They enjoy greater degree of freedom. Space and time cannot confine them. Since they are free from the constrain of time, I suppose they do not change, decay or die. Yet, they too are creatures of God. Creatures have beginnings. Some of them also have an end, like us. Some may not have an end. Angels and spiritual beings, probably including demons, belong to this class of creatures. That was why I said at the beginning that they are more superior than us humans. Revelation 12 tells us that they wedge a battle with Satan and devils and win. We have never won any battle over them.
However, after the end of the world (the world to come), God intends to subject everything under man.
For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking (Hebrews 2:5).
The author of Hebrews supports this view with a quotation from Psalm 8. He focused on the word "everything". With this word, the authors of the two testaments believed that God intends to subject even angels under man.
Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control (Hebrews 2:8b).
It is difficult to imagine subjecting angels under us. Of course, angels would bow to and serve respectfully Jesus, the Son of God. But we humans are still mortal and sinful.
So, the author of Hebrews continues to prove his point by highlighting the fact that Jesus, before whom the angels humble themselves, was not ashamed to call us brethren.
For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have all one origin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brethren (Hebrews 2:11)
Since Jesus and I are brothers, I should also enjoy the glory and honour due Jesus. But do I have the virtues of Jesus? No.
I learn one thing from the study of aggression in Psychology courses. Animals fight against each other for food and for mates. Yet, it would only be under extreme conditions in which their survival is threatened that they would kill each other and eat each other. In the end, eating your own kind would wipe out the whole species. Therefore, in the course of evolution, animals have developed a kind of intra-species combat protocol so that when the winner wolf is decided, it would stop short of killing the loser wolf. The winner would allow the loser to retreat and keep its life. The loser is not the winner's dinner. When it comes to man, murder is invented. Men is so evolved that instincts play only a minor role in determining their actions. They don't have a built-in combat protocol. They develop ethics to regulate their behaviours instead. Primitive men took a lot of energy to kill a rival. Modern men simply press a button to kill tens of thousands. Unfortunately, our ethics and virtues cannot catch up with our destructiveness.
We need to be saints in order to be able to command angels! I believe the Holy Spirit given us enables us to commands angels and makes us masters over them. Not now, but after the end of the world. So, for the time being, we should focus on a sanctified life.

My Lord, You are mindful of us to share Your eternal life with us. We are truly privileged among creatures to have angels subjected under our commands. Help us nurture compatible enough virtues to this privilege. Amen.

Appendix:
What is man that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man, that thou carest for him?
Thou didst make him for a little while lower than the angels, thou hast crowned him with glory and honor,
putting everything in subjection under his feet
.
τί ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ὅτι μιμνῄσκῃ αὐτοῦ, ἢ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ὅτι ἐπισκέπτῃ αὐτόν;
ἠλάττωσας αὐτὸν βραχύ τι παρ' ἀγγέλους, δόξῃ καὶ τιμῇ ἐστεφάνωσας αὐτόν,
πάντα ὑπέταξας ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ.
(Hebrews 2:6-8a, Psalm 8:5-7)

I will proclaim thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee.
ἀπαγγελῶ τὸ ὄνομά σου τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου, ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε (Hebrews 2:12)
διηγήσομαι τὸ ὄνομά σου τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου, ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε (Psalm 21:23 LXX, 22:23 MT)

I will put my trust in him.
ἐγὼ ἔσομαι πεποιθὼς ἐπ' αὐτῷ (Hebrews 2:13a)
καὶ πεποιθὼς ἔσομαι ἐπ̓ αὐτῷ. (Isaiah 8:17)

Here am I, and the children God has given me
ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία ἅ μοι ἔδωκεν ὁ θεός (Hebrews 2:13b, Isaiah 8:18).

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