Heb 1:2 God Speaks Thru His Son
Last time we touched on how God had spoken to mankind in many ways and manners in the OT, but never had He revealed Himself to mankind the way He did when He came to earth as Jesus Christ.
Heb 1:1,2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds.
1:2 in these last days Most Jews from Jesus’ time on earth were familiar with the phrase “last days” from the Old Testament, understanding it to mean the time of the Messiah’s coming to earth and the setting up of His earthly kingdom. Now, Jesus is the Messiah and there are a few scriptures which speak of the Kingdom of God being among us in the gospels (Mat 12:24-29; Mk 9:1-9; Lk 4:43,9:27-36). The Kingdom of God, at this time, has already come in a spiritual sense. Yet, that aspect of the Kingdom is only given or made apparent (Lk 19:11-28) through and within true believers of Jesus Christ (Lk 17:20-21) via the Holy Spirit.
Since Jesus is God Almighty, born of the seed of the Father (Lk 1:30-35), the time since His actual birth until the day He returns again to set up an earthly kingdom (in the millennium) is considered the time of “the last days.” Thus, we are currently in “the last days” even though the phrase itself seems to connotate the a short time period taking place right before the finish. Again, Peter says that a thousand years is as one day to the Lord (2 Pet 3:8-9), so keep this in mind as you consider these things (Acts 1:6-7).
by His Son Jesus is the Son of God. Please see Heb 1:4 Jesus better than angels for more information on angels as sons of God. “Son of God” is first mentioned in the context of Jesus as Son of God in Dan 3:25, accompanying Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. The second time is when the angel is sent to Mary (Lk 1:31-35) to tell her she will give birth to Jesus and He will be the Son of God. The third mention is by John the Baptist (Jn 1:32-34), who tells all present around him that he’s had a heavenly experience and Jesus “is the Son of God.“
Many Jews believed John the Baptist was Elijah (also known as Elias) to come (Jn 1:21-23) and a prophet. Some even questioned him if he were the Messiah himself, but John told them plainly he was not (Jn 1:20). The Jews were looking for the Messiah to come, but had no idea the Messiah would be the Son of God. When things turned out the way they did, it completely threw them. The book of Hebrews goes into why they should have in verses 1:5,6,8,10.
So, when John the Baptist told the Jews plainly that Jesus was the Son of God, the Jews of that day understood John was really saying, Jesus was Deity, and they eventually rejected it (Jn 10:33). Again, they were expecting a Conquering Messiah and not a Suffering Servant, so Jesus wasn’t being what they expected. This perplexed a lot of Jews, including John and the Apostles. John revealed his perplexity, when, from prison, he sends messengers to Jesus saying, “Are you He to come? Are we to expect another?” To paraphrase this, “I thought you were coming to conquer, but here I am imprisoned for saying what was righteous to Herod. Instead of being a Conquering Messiah, you’re ministering to the outcasts and healing the multitudes, tolerating the corrupt leadership as if you were the people’s suffering servant. Are you the one that’s supposed to be coming? Have I understood this all wrong? Are or should we be expecting another Conquering One??” (Mat 11:2,3). So we see many, the Jews, Samaritans, and Apostles (Lk 9:51-56, Mat 16:21-23, Mat 26:51-54), were all baffled by what God was doing through Jesus Christ.
You may wonder why Jesus came as a Suffering Servant yourself? There are far too many reason to go into here, but I’ll list three:
- to die upon the cross for our sins.
- to fulfill the prophesies such as David’s request for a righteous King (Psa 72).
- to show us the way, for He learned obedience through the things He suffered (Heb 5:8).
Heb 1:1,2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds.
heir of all things Jesus is the heir to the promise given to Abraham in the Abrahamic Covenant of righteousness by faith (Gal 3:14-18; Rom 4:1-25). Most OT covenants were made between two or more parties who promised to carry out their obligations much like contracts are made today (only back then they sacrificed animals and walked between the bleeding carcasses). God, in making His covenant with Abraham (Abram) did not take Abraham with Him, but walked alone through the carcasses of sacrifice (Gen 15:17-21) in front of Abraham. By doing so, God declared He alone would fulfill the obligations of this covenant -all that was required of Abraham was to believe.
Abraham believed and so righteousness was imputed (given) to Him by God (Rom 4:3; Gal 3:6). Though Abram continued to make mistakes and sometimes do questionable things, God had “placed” righteousness upon him. This is similar to the placing of righteousness upon all Christians… all of which do not deserve it. We’re all sinners saved by grace and we’ll always remain sinners (1 Jn 1:8-10) saved by grace. That is how Jesus is the rightful seed and heir to Abraham, thus, heir of all things.
Rom 4:13 For the promise, that He should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Jesus is also an heir through David, being the seed the Lord promises (after David has died) whose kingdom God establishes for eternity.
2 Sam 7:12,13 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish His kingdom. 13 He shall build an house for My Name, and I will stablish the throne of His kingdom for ever.
He made the worlds Jesus is God and Creator of all things. Jesus is the Word of God (Jn 1:1-3) who has been with the Father forever. God created everything by Jesus (Eph 3:9; Col 1:15-19).
Any type of throne (authority, governor, king, or prince), any dominion (which dominates, has some sort of mastery or lordship), any principalities (forms of higher spiritual rule of any degree) or powers (of might, strength, influence or majesty), it is Jesus who is the Creator (Col 1:16). It is Jesus, therefore, who is Lord over them, for they were, in fact, created for His divine purposes. It is worthy to note these creations include ALL THINGS: the world visible to mankind (our physical realm/dimension) and the world (or realm/dimension) invisible. This of course implying there are many spiritual realms (dimensions) in existence.
Col 1:16 For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him.
Now that’s a big statement.
Peace out!
Loris A. James