Hebrews 1 English Standard Version

The Supremacy of God’s Son

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Hebrews is unique in the New Testament for a couple of reasons. The first as I see it is that the author is not identified. I am not here to argue that point. The second reason is more important.

We who were never Jewish do not know how it feels to be Jewish and this letter to Jews gives us a glimpse of what their thinking might look like. It will never make us feel like a Jew, nothing can make us experience that feeling. What we can do from reading Hebrews is glimpse into the ceremonial aspect and expectations about the priesthood, the sacrifices and the hope they had before Jesus came into the world and changed everything.

This is literally a before and after look into the life of Jewish conversion.

Let us give credit to the author, no matter who it is, that they have a better understanding of what it was to be Jewish and what it means to be converted.

Note in the opening verses the attention to detail so as not to name the Son of God but to rather express Him in terms of identity. Specifically in Jesus being the exact imprint of His nature and His power. Only after indicating God’s glory as His radiance do we hear about the ritual of purification.

It is the Son of God, not by name, that makes atonement for sin via the ritual sacrifices that the Jews of those days were totally familiar with. Only after that does the author reveal that the name is not only superior but inherited. The name they had been waiting for was a birthright indicating that the earthly lineage had to be right, be born, and inherit the name as the anointed one that was promised, The Christ. What they wanted was a King to rule on earth. That time is still to come. This is the church age, not the Millennial Kingdom when Christ shall reign on earth.

Revelation 20

The Thousand Years

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended.

Acts 24:14 But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets,

The Greek word for sect here is haíresis, hah’-ee-res-is; from G138; properly, a choice, i.e. (specially) a party or (abstractly) disunion:—heresy (which is the Greek word itself), sect. But the root word for that is aírō, ah’-ee-ro; a primary root; to lift up; by implication, to take up or away; figuratively, to raise (the voice), keep in suspense (the mind), specially, to sail away (i.e. weigh anchor); by Hebraism (compare H5375) to expiate sin:—away with, bear (up), carry, lift up, loose, make to doubt, put away, remove, take (away, up).

The Way is the only sect that leads us to the root of the problem, how to atone for all sin, for all mankind, forever.

The KJV uses the word heresy only because the Jewish teachers in those days called it heresy.

Paul tells Felix the truth. “I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets.” It was all there, all the time but lacked perfect understanding which can only come from the Author.

Now we struggle with our limited minds and influences that are not God. If we are to seek the truth in these matters, we must hear it from God Himself. This we cannot do without His help.

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Ephesians 3:12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Hearing by faith is like learning a new language. It takes practice, patience and faith in Christ, not faith in effort. We must allow the Helper to change the way we think.

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The purpose has to be to seek God’s will or this will not work. Seeking knowledge for knowledge’s sake is circular thinking that leads nowhere.