Hebrews 1:1-14

(Hebrews 1:1-14)

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.  And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;  And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.  But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

 

The original title of the book of Hebrews means "To the Hebrews". In Hebrews, it is not clear who wrote this letter or where it was written to the Hebrews. However, from the contents recorded in Hebrews, it is presumed that he has a very accurate understanding and knowledge of the Old Testament and Jewish traditions. Also, as the contents of the free offering of sacrifices in the Jerusalem Temple, A.D. before the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed by Roman General Titus. It can be considered to have been recorded between 64 and 70. And the author of Hebrews knows very deeply and accurately about the doctrine of salvation in the New Testament, so there are many views that the apostle Paul wrote.

By the time the early church was founded, Christianity was under persecution by the Roman Empire, and severe attacks by Jews who did not accept Jesus. With the strength to endure such persecution, as believers who want to return to Judaism again, The writer of the Hebrews argues that "the traditional rites and laws of Judaism will someday disappear, and that the saints hold on to the faith through Jesus, which is effective in any situation, and to give the conviction of faith in Jesus the Savior and hope for the future. It was written in Hebrews.

So, the book of Hebrews focuses on correctly teaching the superiority of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who excelled in everything. The book of Hebrews reveals that humans are eternal as the one who plays the role of high priest, the mediator who opens the way to God.
The book of Hebrews can be divided into two main parts. Of the 13 chapters, from 1 to 10:18, the doctrinal part of what Jesus is, and from 10:19 to the last 13:25, endurance in difficult conditions. In the meantime, practical counsel about the life of believing in Jesus is recorded.

Chapter 1 is an introduction to the whole book of Hebrews, focusing on who Jesus is. The book of Hebrews can be summarized into the following seven things about Jesus.
First, Jesus is the one sent by God to show God's will.『 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds』

Revelation reveals the will of God. God made people aware of God through all things in the universe, delivered God's will through history, and revealed God's will through prophets. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth and delivered Himself to the earth to reveal His will most accurately and clearly. This is called incarnation. God appeared as a human being in a human body. This is a special revelation of God and can be accurately known from the Bible. So, all the Old Testament records and the history of Israel are focused on Jesus, and the most important key to understanding and interpreting the Bible is Jesus.

Second, Jesus is the creator of heaven and earth with God, and heir of all things. 『Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, in John 1:3, 『All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.. So, Jesus is the one who holds all things, is the Creator, and the One who receives glory.

Third, Jesus is the Savior who solved human sin problems.

『 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:』 죄로 죽을 수밖에 없는 인간들을 위해 십자가에 Jesus did the work of purifying sins by dying on the cross, and then comes back to life and sits on the right throne of God. Jesus is the defender of God for weak humans, believers and followers of Jesus. In 1 John 2:1『 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:.』

Fourth, Jesus is the One who rules all things and is worshiped by angels. At that time, there was an idea of worshiping angels. The status between Jesus and the angel was an important issue. So, by quoting the words of Psalm 2:7 in the Old Testament, it is revealed that Jesus is the only begotten Son and that angels are only creatures created to worship Jesus.

『 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.』 Jesus, seated at the right hand of God, is the one who is worshiped by angels and uses angels to rule over all things.

Fifth, Jesus is the Son of God of Justice, who rules fairly. Jesus rules all things, rules the world, but rules with fairness and justice, and is the everlasting ruler. 『But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom..』

Sixth, Jesus is the same yesterday and today.『 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.』 Everything in the world disappears in due time and has no choice but to change, but Jesus remains the same forever, loves us from the beginning to the present, and is the constant Lord.

Seventh, Jesus sits at the right hand of God and rules and protects the saints. Quoting from Psalm 110:1, the Old Testament reveals that angels are nothing more than creatures created to serve Jesus and the saints.

 『 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?』 Since angels are spirits of service sent to serve the saints, it is wrong to worship them. Jesus sits at the right hand of God, rules the world, is served by all angels, protects and guides the saints.