In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father”?
Or again,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son”?
6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”
7 In speaking of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels winds,
his servants flames of fire.”
8 But about the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever,
and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
10 He also says,
“In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
12 You will roll them up like a robe;
like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.”
13 To which of the angels did God ever say,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet”?
14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
My Understanding: This passage begins by letting us know that in the past God spoke through the prophets, but in these last days, since the birth of Jesus Christ, God has spoken to us by his Son. His Son is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Word. The Bible is the word of God and thus is one way in which the Son speaks to us today. The Word (Jesus Christ) also dwells in the hearts of believers in Jesus Christ via the person of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent to indwell believers – to comfort, counsel, correct, encourage, teach, etc. So, the Son is still speaking through his word and also speaks in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
As well, the Son still speaks through human messengers, as he has called all of us to be his witnesses and to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe everything Jesus has commanded. He uses us as his ambassadors, as though he is making his appeal through us. He speaks through us, as well, for the building up, the encouragement and the strengthening of the church. So, he still uses humans as his divine messengers to teach the word of God in such a way that is practical, relevant and applicable to our daily lives. All true believers in Jesus Christ, in whom Christ dwells, are to be messengers for Jesus Christ, as we are his representatives to shine the light of the gospel to the whole world.
As I prayerfully read through this passage, and also read about it in a Bible commentary, I came to realize that this passage of scripture was describing seven characteristic traits about Jesus Christ, and I also remembered that Colossians 1 described Jesus Christ in a similar manner. So, Colossians 1:15-20 and Hebrews 1 say this about Jesus Christ:
1) He is the firstborn over all creation. God appointed him heir of all things - In OT times, the firstborn son “received a double portion of his father’s estate, the paternal blessing, and the succession of authority” [Source: Harper’s Bible Dictionary], so the firstborn was the heir. Here, in the NT, Jesus is termed the “firstborn” over all creation and he is the heir of all things. He is supreme over all things. He is the beginning - the Alpha. He is the firstborn from among the dead - he is the only one raised from the dead who did not die again.
2) He is the creator of all things. By him and for him all things were created. God made the universe through him, i.e. through the person of God the Son. [Cf. John 1]
3) He is the image of the invisible God. He is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being - A representation is “a visual depiction of somebody or something” (Encarta). Exact means “accurate and correct in all important details; precise and not allowing for any variation” (Encarta). In other words, Jesus is the very essence God. God’s glory is his presence and his revealed self in all his divine majesty, character, and attributes. Jesus reflected and radiated God’s glory.
4) He was before all things (He is eternal with God), and in him all things hold together. The Son sustains all things by His powerful word.
5) Through him God reconciled to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. He provided purification for sins - Jesus Christ took upon himself the sins of the entire world when he hung on that cross. Our sins were thus crucified and buried with Christ, yet when he rose from the grave, he left our sins in the grave, triumphing over them through his resurrection in conquering death, hell, Satan and sin – the penalty of sin (hell) and the control of sin over our lives on a daily basis, so that we could go free.
6) God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him. God said to the Son: “Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever.” And, “In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth” - Jesus is God! Jesus is Lord! He is eternal with God.
7) He is the head of the body, the church. He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. He became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs - His name sums up all that He is, his whole character and personality. So, in every aspect of who Jesus Christ is, he is divinely superior to the angels, who were also called “sons of God,” which is why the writer of Hebrews is making this distinction between Jesus as the Son (the heir) and the angels as “sons of God,” to show Jesus’ superiority to all the other “sons of God.” This relationship between God the Father and God the Son is a unique, one and only, relationship that cannot be compared to or classified by any other relationships between God and his other “sons.” God set the Son above his companions. And, God will make the Son’s enemies a footstool at his feet. He is supreme and preeminent over all things.
Jesus Christ, God the Son, loves righteousness but he hates wickedness. Wickedness (sin) is what corrupts, pollutes, ruins and damages our lives and the lives of those whom our lives “touch” each and every day. We are all affected by sin in one way or another. Wickedness (sin) deceives us (lies to us) and leads us in paths of unrighteousness that leads us to destruction, i.e. it ruins ours and others’ quality of life, relationships, and relationship with God in this life, yet it also leads to eternal destruction (God’s judgment) in hell (eternal separation from God) for those who have not come to the cross of Jesus Christ to receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified (made holy) in Christ Jesus.
This passage in Hebrews states that, even though the Son created all things, all created things will one day perish, yet Jesus Christ, the Son, will remain, i.e. he is not created, he is the creator. He was with God from the beginning and he is the beginning and he is God and all things were made by him and for him. Yet, he is also the judge who will come and will destroy created things in judgment. He will “roll them up like a robe” and they will all be changed, yet the Son will remain the same and his years will never end (he is eternal). His enemies will be made his footstool, i.e. he will conquer them through judgment.
The Lord gave me this song, In the Still of the Night, again. From a previous writing, Hold Me Again, I saw the “still of the night” in relation to people saying “Peace and safety” during a time when Satan is hard at work in destroying the church, when unharnessed sin is rampant, when people are living in moral stupidity and are spiritually asleep, when the gospel message is being watered down at an enormous rate, and when false teachers are covering over the spiritual wounds (sins) of God’s people with Band-Aids, as though their “wounds” are not serious, but they are (See Jeremiah 6 and 8). Yet, “While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (I Thess. 5:3). Yet, to those of us who will inherit salvation by God’s provision of his grace through our faith (repentance and obedience) in Jesus Christ, we will receive eternal life with Jesus Christ as his co-heirs.
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