Is the glory referred to in Hebrews 2:10, Millennial or Heaven?
This question has two main aspects, and it is imperative to have absolute clarity, because at the heart of the answer is the ultimate purpose of God in his dealings with man. The author of the book of Hebrews is steadfast in insisting on the absolute superiority of Christ over Judaism and the Old Covenant. In this chapter he shows that divine purpose will be completed in all its fullness through Christ.
The section from verse 5 through to verse 10 will lead us to the answer. The general setting is Christ’s superiority over angels in relation to administration and rule on earth. Christ is already seen as superior to angels in chapter 1, as Son of God. In this passage it is as Son of Man that His superiority is viewed. In the statement of verse 5, “authority, in a world to come,” is God’s final objective for what we know is a fallen creation. Clearly stated is who won’t rule, namely angels. Angels, (Luke 22:43, Heb 1:14) are ministers, not rulers.
We begin to understand the question by discerning the choice of words the writer uses in verse 5: “Put in subjection,” has as its meaning arrangement, or administration. We know that God ordains the powers that be (Rom 13:1). This passage is going to outline both present and future conditions of this world to come. The word used for “world,” is not the common Greek word kosmos, which means system; it is a specific word, oikumene. Oikos means house, a place of habitation, so what is in view is the inhabited earth. This glory, therefore, cannot be heaven; it must have something to do with the place where men live. The millennium has everything to do with earth, and so we ascertain where this glory will be manifested.
Verses 7-8 express God’s original purpose in creation, as he gave man (Adam) both a place and a position of glory. Simply, and yet sadly, it is clearly stated that today, man is not fulfilling God’s intent. Adam forfeited his right to rule over the “works of Thy hand,” because of disobedience (Rom 5:12). In verse 9, through Christ, God’s original intention will not be thwarted. In the lovely expression, “But we see Jesus,” the name given Him as man, Christ will recover for God everything that was lost in Adam. In the “world to come,” the millennium, God will see that Christ is crowned with glory and honor. More than that, where Adam failed, Christ will not, and He will bring with Him many sons (John 1:12), into a position of glory in the inhabited earth.
When we grasp the fact that it is God’s absolute intention to restore man back to a position of glory, as sons, through Christ, in a day when global leaders are failing, it should strengthen our faith, and cause us to look up and say, “Even so come, Lord Jesus.”
