“After God spoke long ago in various portions and in various ways to our ancestors through the prophets, in these last days he has spoken to us in a son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world. The Son is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word, and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Thus he became so far better than the angels as he has inherited a name superior to theirs.” Hebrews 1:1-4 NET
There is a great deal packed into the first four verses of
Hebrews, and it may take some effort to unpack it all. The writer of Hebrews
makes a significant point as we begin this book, stating that God spoke to His
people in various ways throughout history. From the beginning of creation and
the Garden of Eden, through the fall, and continuing with the lives of the
first family of Adam, God's narrative unfolded. This narrative continued
through subsequent generations, covering events such as the Tower of Babel, the
dividing of nations, and eventually the flood. There are many examples of how
God's message persisted through different lineages and prophets over time,
ultimately leading to Jesus. This is the direction the writer of Hebrews is
guiding us toward.
The writer also mentions that we are in the last days. What
contextual justification does he provide for this assertion? Why doesn't he
think that everything just continues as before, rather than suggesting a change
in the current state of the world? He argues that everything before his writing
was a preparation for the coming of the Messiah. He sees Jesus as the crucial
turning point for all of creation up to that time, asserting that the end times
began with the birth and death of the Messiah, whom we know as Jesus. Up until
His arrival, all of creation pointed to His birth and His reign on earth and in
heaven.
It's significant that the writer of Hebrews states, “After
God spoke long ago…” indicating that he refers to the present time. He conveys
an understanding that God exists in the here and now, not in the past. This
represents a profound quantum reality in recognizing that there is no time
dilation when it comes to the sacrifice of Jesus. In Hebrews 10:19-20, it says:
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the
sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the fresh and living way that He
inaugurated for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh.”
The essence of this passage in Hebrews 10 can easily be lost
in translation; the word "fresh" or "new" refers to the
sacrifice of Jesus' blood, which is eternally present and not constrained by
time or the past. It is always potent and available to us. Therefore, the new
or fresh way signifies the application of His blood in the present moment. We
can constantly and consistently approach Jesus in our current lives for His
atoning blood to cover us and serve as our substitutionary sacrifice, which is
ever-present and powerful enough to strengthen us and to overcome the power of
sin and death that seeks to control our daily lives.
“God appointed Jesus heir of all things.” Although this is a
general statement, it signifies that Jesus possesses unparalleled power to
achieve the impossible; He has inherited everything in the created universe.
What does this truly tell us? It means that Jesus is the verified ruler of
heaven and earth, appointed to Him by His heavenly Father. This is because God
is revealed in the person of His Son, Jesus.
“The Son is the radiance of the Father’s glory and the
representation of His radiance.” It is truly remarkable to consider that Jesus
Christ is the truest and most accurate reflection of the glory or light of our
heavenly Father. When Jesus spoke with his disciple Philip, He said: “Have I
been with you for so long, and you have not known me, Philip? The person who
has seen me has seen the Father! How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”
John 14:9 NET. This is a verse of immense theological significance,
as it declares the identity of Jesus and the heavenly Father. The Jews of Jesus
Day struggled with this concept because Jesus, a mere mortal, was comparing
Himself with an eternal God. The Heavenly Father was perceived as
unapproachable and separate from mankind in the minds of the Jews of Jesus’
day; what Jesus was saying was considered blasphemous.
However, the concept of the two powers in heaven is not
unique to Jesus' time; it has a long history. John spoke about it in his
Gospel. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was fully God. The Word was with God in the beginning. All things were
created by him, and apart from him, not one thing was created that has been
created. In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. And the light
shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it.” John
1:1-5 NET. Also, in the Old Testament, God appeared in human form to Abraham: “The
Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the
entrance to his tent during the hottest time of the day. Abraham looked up and
saw three men standing across from him. When he saw them, he ran from the
entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.” Genesis
18:1-3 NET. These verses indicate that there is a God who resides in the
spiritual heaven, while at that same time, can be anthropomorphic and appear in
human flesh; this is known as the two powers in heaven.
Jesus, the creator of all things, embarked on a monumental
task. He needed to create one more thing before creation was complete: a
cleansing for mankind’s sins. He undertook the ultimate sacrifice, offering
himself as the propitiation for everyone, to provide a means for mankind to
return to God’s good graces. This act of unparalleled love and selflessness is
a testament to His divine nature. It is a sacrifice that we, as mankind, can
never fully comprehend, but for which we are eternally grateful. He also had to
dethrone a renegade spiritual son of God named Lucifer, who had introduced sin
into the world. And through deception, caused mankind to leave God and follow
along with him into his kingdom of darkness and pain.
Jesus completed His monumental task and provided redemption
for everyone; the requirement for man has been the same since the beginning of
God’s narrative to the world: believing loyalty. Jesus, upon completion of His
work, sat down at the right hand of Majesty on High. What does that mean? It
means that Jesus was done, finished with all of His creation, and nothing was
left undone. We must remember that everything is ever present with God because
He is not held captive by time and space as we are, so everything happens
everywhere simultaneously. That is the ultimate continuum in which Jesus
resides. I am not trying to sound too metaphysical in my description of Jesus,
but I am trying to communicate that He is omniscient and omnipresent. It is
just a different way of describing the same thing.
Jesus was the unique son of God and became far better than
Angels, or even the other sons of God in heaven, by accomplishing the
impossible, the redemption of all mankind. He inherited a name above all others
and name above every name. “so that at the name of Jesus every knee will
bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:10-11
NET. In closing, It is amazing that, in the end, it was about the glory
of our heavenly Father. Jesus knew it was never about Him; he was the
consummate obedient Son and everything He did was always about His Father in
heaven. “Then Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will
know that I am he, and I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak just what
the Father taught me. And the one who sent me is with me. He has not left me
alone, because I always do those things that please him.”” John 8:28-29 NET
Like I said from the outset, these verses are jam-packed!
Stephen Barnett
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