The descriptive narrative
continues with more praise and loftiness being spoken of concerning the Son. It
is revealed that the Son, in His eternal nature, founded the heavens in the
beginning. This eternal aspect of the Son transcends His earthly
accomplishments, such as becoming human, dying for mankind, and becoming
salvation. The narrative further unveils that the heavens, a creation of the
Son's hands, elevate Jesus to an entirely different level. The wisdom required
to create the heavens was not a mere possession of Jesus but was deeply
embedded wisdom within His eternal mind.
We tend to think of the heavens
as eternal, but the writer of Hebrews makes it clear that anything created will
grow old, decay, and perish, everything. The Hebrew word for heaven is ‘ouranos’, it speaks of the sun, moon, and stars. The firmament of the heavens. “They will
all grow old like a garment, and like a robe you will fold them up like a
garment they will be changed.” It gives you a sense of the
impermanence of everything created in heaven and on the earth. How do we see
all of creation in light of this statement? That which seems permanent from the
perspective of our lifetime can only be judged within a linear timeline scale
with a beginning and an end, for we are all trapped in dimensional time.
Amidst the impermanence of all
created things, there is one eternal entity: the Son. He is not bound by the
constraints of time but exists in an eternal present paradigm that unfolds
continuously. While all created things will eventually perish, the Son endures.
His eternal existence offers a beacon of hope and reassurance in the face of
our world's transient nature. The writer says “but you are the same and your
years will never run out.” Which is in line with the statement “Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday and today and forever!” Hebrews 13:8 NET.
It appears as though the heavenly
Father is declaring that Jesus is new to the ruling and reigning in the family
business, but that is untrue. The Father is saying to the divine beings in the
heavenly realm that Jesus, who is also a divine being, ‘is finally done
with creation’ and can now sit beside Him and enjoy the fruits of His labors,
much like a man who has worked all his life to stop working and enjoy
retirement and the freedom that it represents to enjoy life and not be bound to
the workforce for sustenance.
Now that Jesus is complete with
creation and is sitting at the Father's right hand, it isn’t Jesus who makes
His enemies come into obedience; it is the Father. Jesus has entered into His
rest and His right to rule and reign beside the Father. The Father, in His love
and mercy, is taking the initiative to bring all creation into alignment with
His divine plan, a plan that allows His Son to freely rule over creation and
for all to experience His potent and overwhelming love.
Here is the fantastic thing about
the reign of Jesus, everything is enforced through the love of the Father. We
tend to view judgment or enforcement as punitive, not from the Father’s
perspective. His love is not about punishment or punitive actions against us;
that was always the devil’s deception, not God’s. The Father's love, as
revealed in His Son Jesus, is about mercy, grace, and forgiveness on display
for all to see. It's a love that transcends punishment and seeks to restore and
reconcile, not condemn.
The story of the Prodigal Son
tells the story of a son who desired an inheritance to experience life and
riotous living apart from the life provided by his Father, which is the surface
reading of the story. If we look deeper, we see a narrative about the broken
heart of a Father who longs for the return of his son with a deep and powerful
longing. A Father who always thinks of His son and doesn’t want him to suffer what
he knows is coming to his son. A Father who searches daily for his son on the
property he has provided. One day, the Father sees his son approaching from
afar, and he is filled with great joy. He runs out to embrace him.
Even though the son attempts to
justify his unworthiness upon his return, the Father perceives his brokenness
and shame. The Father puts a robe on his son, which represents the covering or
protection of his Father. The Father then puts a ring on his son’s finger,
representing family identity. The son’s place in the family is now fully
restored. The Father brings sandals for the feet of his son, which means the
message of the Father that his son has been found and restored by the mercy and
grace of his Father can now be carried to others. Lastly, the fatted calf
represents the celebration of life and the joy of the Father, knowing that his
son, who was once lost, is now found; he was dead and is now alive and
functioning within the family business. This is a powerful testament to the
Father's forgiveness and love for His children.
The Prodigal Son story is not
about Jesus as much as it is about us, our rebellion of turning away from the
Father’s provision, and our being welcomed back into His loving arms and being
restored and healed back into the awareness that we have an inheritance that is
ever present and available to us.
The last portion of this verse in
Hebrews 1. What was the angelic force created to do? First and foremost, they
are messengers. The writer says, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out
to serve those who will inherit salvation?” It is a fantastic statement because
it does not say that those who inherit salvation are already in alignment with
God or that somehow those who inherit salvation must be obedient to God to
receive angelic ministration. And it does not say that only some are entitled
to salvation. It says everyone can be prayed for to receive angelic ministry to
draw them to the Father. Back to my illustration of the Prodigal Son, he did
not understand everything he experienced, and his poor choices led him to know
that he had it better at home with his Father.
Salvation is not a privilege
reserved for a select few, but a sacrificial gift given for all. As John
3:16-17 clearly proclaims, “For this is the way God loved the world: He gave
his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have
eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world should be saved through him.” The Greek word for the
world in John 3 is ‘cosmos’; some scholars believe that John was referring to
the world system that is opposed to God and that Jesus died for everyone, not
just the Jewish people or a select group of people whom God chose from the
beginning of time. It’s important to understand that Jesus ‘sacrifice was for
all people, not just a chosen few. This all-encompassing nature of salvation is a
comforting truth we can all embrace.
Prayer is a powerful tool for
ministering spirits (angels) to assist those who are lost and in need of the
Father’s love. These ministering spirits are divine beings who serve God and
His people, and our prayers can direct them when we pray according to the Lord's
will. We do not specifically pray to or command angelic messengers; we pray to
the Lord and ask Him for their assistance. The book of Revelation reveals that
the prayers of the saints are stored in heaven, like liquid in bowls, and are
poured out upon the earth. These prayers serve as directives for ministering
angels, guiding them to those who need to find their way to their heavenly
Father. They pave a clear path for the lost to return, assuring them that their
trust in God’s love will not be unrewarded.
Even those who never knew their
heavenly Father can be provided a path of salvation, for God is not a respecter
of persons; anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
It is important to remember that
Jesus died to redeem mankind, not fallen angels. Recently, there has been some
confusion regarding whether fallen angels will be redeemed. However, there is
no scriptural revelation suggesting that this is the case. In fact, a place of
eternal torment has been designated for the devil and his fallen angels. Sadly, it is also taught that this same place will be the destination
of those who fail to receive Jesus as their Savior in this life. This belief has been a
dominant teaching of Evangelical Christianity.
I do not identify as a true
universalist; I believe that mankind has a responsibility to recognize our
fallen state due to Adam’s original sin. However, failing to acknowledge this
does not completely separate a man or woman from God’s presence, although it
does significantly limit it. I believe those who Jesus knows in this life will
be the same people who will be close to Him in heaven, experiencing greater
intimacy with the light. In contrast, those who remain distant from His
presence and refuse to grow in their relationship with Jesus or be transformed
by the Holy Spirit may find themselves far away (in what the scripture refers
to as outer or fringe darkness). This is described in scripture as a place
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The pain does not arise from
being outside the light of the Lord's presence but rather from being far from it.
Hebrews has much more to explore, and we have only covered chapter 1 so far. This is going to be a great ride of discovery and meditation. Strap yourselves in.
Stephen Barnett
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