In this category comes death, the last enemy of mortal man.  `Even

death, the last enemy, shall be abolished'.  This is included in the Divine

purpose, `For He hath put all things under His feet'.  The resurrection

therefore is absolutely essential to the fulfilment of the great purpose of

But it may be asked, Can such an expression as `destroyed' or

`abolished' speak of resurrection?  Take the statement of 2 Timothy 1:10:

`But now is made manifest by the manifestation of our Saviour Jesus

Christ, Who abolished (katargeo) death, and illuminated life and

incorruptibility through the gospel'.

This refers to the Lord Himself in the first instance.  He abolished

death when He arose from the dead.  Not only did He abolish death, but He

commenced that destruction of all rule and power which He will carry through

when He sits upon the throne of His glory:

`That through death He might destroy (katargeo) him that had the power

of death, that is, the devil' (Heb. 2:14).

Other passages illustrating the meaning of katargeo (`put down',

`destroyed' 1 Cor. 15:24-26) are Romans 6:6; 1 Corinthians 2:6; 1 Corinthians

13:11; 2 Corinthians 3:7; Ephesians 2:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:8.  When we read

`all rule and all authority and power', we may be inclined to make too wide a

sweep, but the corrective of verse 26 enables us to see that we are dealing

with enemies.  There are two distinct actions, and two distinct classes in

view in these verses.  The enemies are `abolished', but others are `subdued'.

This word `subdued' (hupotasso) is a cognate of tagma, `order', `rank',

of verse 23, and looks to the perfect order and alignment that will

characterize the kingdom of Christ.  It is used of Christ Himself in the

words, `Then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him ... that God may

be all in all' and He will not be put down as an enemy.  The first occurrence

of the word is beautiful in its suggestiveness.  That One, of Whom it was

prophesied that `all things should be subjected beneath His feet', did not

presume to act out of harmony with the Father's will for Him during His

boyhood, for:

`He ... came to Nazareth (with His parents), and was subject unto them'

(Luke 2:51).

In Romans 8:7 the two words `enmity' and `subjection' are seen to be

`The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the

law of God, neither indeed can be'.

The word `subject' involves the idea of a `willing surrender'.  All

must come down in that day.  Some by being `abolished' or `destroyed', others

by a willing surrender like unto that of the Son of God Himself.  In Romans

8:20 it is revealed that the creation has become involuntarily subjected to

vanity, and this cries aloud for that willing submission of all things to the

true goal of all creation, Christ.  The word is used in Philippians 3:21,

where the transforming of the body of humiliation is said to be according to

the self-same energy whereby He is able to subject all things unto Himself.