The Finality of God’s Revelation Hebrews 1:1-3

As many biblical scholars purport, the book of Hebrews is one of the most amazing books of the New Testament; in fact, biblical scholars advance that it is second only to the book of Romans in glory and magnificence.   This glorious book was written somewhere between the Ascension of Christ in A.D. 33, and the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in A.D. 70.  A conservative date of Hebrews would be from A.D. 64-68.  The author of this book is very debatable.  Speaking on the uncertainty of the author’s origin, a great forefather wrote: “Only God knows.”  The anonymity of its author does not distract from the essential message of this book:  Jesus Christ is Superior to anything that Judaism has to offer.

The book of Hebrews will present the surpassing superiority of Jesus Christ in His Person and work.  In amazing abruptness, the author drives right into his subject of presenting the supreme glories of the Second Person of the eternal Godhead, Jesus Christ.  First and foremost, he contrasts God’s revelation through the prophets with His supreme revelation in His Son.  The great ministry of the prophets of old was of immense value in the Old Testament.  These great servants were God’s mouthpiece in dispensing God’s truth.  A prophet by definition is God’s spokesman to mankind.  God used prophets of old to communicate His message to mankind.  God used diverse ways to communicate His message in visions, dreams, symbols, and also through the law, history, poetry and prophecy.  However, at best, the revelation that the prophets presented was only partial and fragmentary!  In essence, the revelation that was channeled from God to the prophets to man was given progressively, but never with a sense of finality.

However, although the channel of communication of the prophets of old was only partial, the author wishes to unveil that Jesus Christ is God’s final and consummate revelation to man (v. 2).  Jesus Christ is truly God’s final revelation to mankind, and He affirmed that fact when He said: “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.”  In presenting the surpassing greatness of God’s Son to the prophets, the writer first presented Him as “Heir of all things.”

This universe belongs to Him because He was the active or energetic agent of creation.  He created the atmospheric and stellar heavens, the earth, and He created mankind.   In verse 3, He is the effulgent or outshining of God’s glory.  All of the perfections of God the Father are found in Him.  In addition, Jesus Christ is the precise and exact image of God’s being.  The Son as God precisely reveals to man who God is!  In revealing that Christ is the exact reproduction of the essence of God, Colossians 1:15 states: “Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature.”  Furthermore, in 3b, the writer states that Christ upholds this marvelous universe by His potent and powerful Word.  He who speaks things into existence, has the power to sustain that He has created!  Colossians 1:17 supports the fact that the Creator sustains the universe, for this verse states: “And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.”  He holds together this marvelous universe and He holds us together also, for Acts 17:28 says: “For in Him we live, and move and have our being.”

Having presented the surpassing Person and work of Christ, the writer presented Christ’s most astounding work for mankind – “When He had by Himself purged out sins.”  The great Creator and sustainer of this vast universe became our Sin-bearer.  As the Creator and sustainer of this vast universe, He only had to speak, and in so doing, He maintains perfect order.  But in order to expiate and put away our sins, Christ had to die on a rugged hill call Calvary.  Yes, in order to put away our sins, Christ had to die, the just for the unjust, in that II Corinthians 5:21 says: “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Thank God that His work of redemption is finished, for the latter part of verse 3 says that He “sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”  Christ, the active agent of Creation and the sustainer, died for our sins.  Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John said that He died; Paul said that He died, for Christ is the Mediator between God and man.  Yes, He died and was buried, but He rose triumphantly from the grave.  And now, Christ has been exalted to a position of honor, and His exalted position was attested to by Paul in Philippians 2:9-11 which states: “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”