Written to Hebrew Christians. The author is unknown. Hebrews was written to warn against apostasy during persecution. The theme of Hebrews is "The just shall live by faith."
Hebrews 1:1 - God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
It says God, who at sundry times and in divers manners. Sundry times means various times. And in various ways. In other words, in the Old Testament, God worked through progressive revelation. God manifested certain truths about Himself through certain stages of history, and through different people. And not just people, but different things, like the burning bush, or some of these other epiphanies where God revealed Himself through circumstances, and even animals, as far as that's concerned.
So, in many times, and in many ways, God spoke in time past, indicating that He's about ready to tell us that He doesn't do this anymore. He doesn't work this way anymore. In time past, He spoke to the fathers, and that would be the patriarchs. He spoke to the fathers.
And then the key to this, the instruments: by the prophets. The literal translation is not by the prophets, but in the prophets. The Greek text indicates that He wasn't just speaking through them. He was in them. He was in the prophets.
Who being the brightness of His glory. The word brightness is literally translated out beam from the word APAUGASMA which means the out beam of His glory. It can be described by taking a flashlight to the back of a dark room and shining it on a wall at the opposite side of the room. You can get a concept in your mind about what God did when He travelled through and projected Himself through the time/space factor, and took up residency in the person of Christ, yet while being God. APAUGASMA is the same word used for a projector, or for a flashlight shining. As it projects, there's an out beam, and you can see whatever image is being projected. This would be the out beam, and what you see on the slide would be the image.
If you combine APAUGASMA with EICON, which is the word image, it's the same terminology in the Greek language that is talking about your source of light and power remaining the same. This is telling us that Jesus Christ is the projection of God through the time space barrier, and He has taken up residency amongst us as human beings, while never being separate from the source.
This is the function of God. He is the APUAGASMA of His glory, the out beam of glory, the projection of the glory of God through time and space, becoming one of us, while never leaving or being separated from the source, God Himself.
The term for "express image" in Verse 3 is the word CHARAKTER. It's where we get our English word character from. What this is saying is that God has projected Himself through the time/space factor, and the image that was projected is the exact representation and image and substance of God. That's why Jesus said if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. The Father and I are one!
Lastly, His provision. When he had by Himself purged our sins, and the word when is literally translated after. It's an Aorist Participle. Please notice that it says by Himself. Nobody else but Jesus cleansed our sins.
Thanks for all the wonderful information you give concerning greek words.
I agree that Jesus is God, came from God, and remained God while also human.
I believe the incarnation this way. The Son, who always has been Divine with the Father and the Holy Spirit, was sent by the Father to be our Savior in the flesh. In eternity past, the Son's constitution was as Spirit, just like the Father and the Holy Spirit.
When the Father sent the Son, it was the Person of the Son who took on humanity with all of its aspects. I do not believe that the Son indwelled an existing human person. Rather, I believe that the Person of Jesus Christ took upon His divinity a humanity as a nature, therefore having two natures but being only one Person, not two persons in one human body.
Therefore, I believe we worship one Person as our Savior not two persons, a divine and another human Person.
And I believe that this One Person, Jesus Christ, had two distinct natures that were united in this one body but the natures were not mixed so as to possess a third type of nature of human/divine. Rather, I believe that Jesus had a human nature and a divine nature who abided in His one human body, being only and always, the divine Person of the Godhead, and never a second human person He took over with His divinity.
If He put Himself as a divine person into an existing human person, we would have two persons as our Savior.
I realize this is somewhat a technical matter, but I think it is very important to clarify. Jesus was God with us as a Person who indwelt a human body, not another person who was human.
I look forward to the rest of your postings on Hebrews as, next to Romans, it is one of my favorite Epistles and it is packed with so much doctrine that truly matters in our life and worship of our God and Savior.
Hebrews 1:3 - 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;
Where it says the right hand of the Majesty on high, in the Greek text the word hand is not there. It literally reads He sat down on the right of the majesty on high. This shows a position of authority. He's the inheritor. He's the creator. And He's the ruler of all things.
Hebrews 1:4 - Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Some might call this rank. His rank is above the angels. He's inherited a name that is better than they. The author is not saying that the name Jesus Christ is better than they (even though we know that's true), but he's talking about the name Son.
Of the four comparisons that he makes, the Son is the inheritor of all things. Did any of the prophets inherit the things of God? He's the creator of all things. None of the prophets created the world. He's the ruler of all things. He's now seated in the position of authority, and He is in rank the Son. He's obtained a name that is greater than the angels. So, we have Him as inheritor, creator, ruler, and rank.
If you go back to Verse 3, there are four characteristics of the Son. And these are participles in the text, which means that this Son that sat down on the right of the throne of God, He was in existence at the time, with these four things:
God has spoken to us. His last spokesperson, the last instrument that God used to minister to us, is His Son. It's very important to see the contrast between the superiority of Jesus Christ in comparison to the prophets. Those days are over. There are no more messages to various people. So, upon, or during the last part of the last days, God spoke to us in a Son. There's no more speaking to us through the prophets, or various items. In His Son, He has the last word.
It goes on to say, "by whom also He made the worlds." The word "worlds" is literally the word ages, which denote epics of time, stages of time in history. So, first of all we had Him as the inheritor. Now He is the creator. He's the one through whom God created all things.
John 1:3 tells us that all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. He is the inheritor of all things. He is the creator of all things.
Hebrews 1:2 - 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;
In these last days seems like it's just another phrase that we see throughout the bible. But in the Greek text, it's literally translated upon the last of these days. It's found in Daniel 10:14 and the Jews would know what it means by the phrase upon the last of these days. The believing Jews knew that we were in the last days, and we still are today. But on the last part of the last days, God has done something different.
Upon the last of these days, God hath spoken to us. And there are two things about the literal translation. The word "by" is the word in. And if you notice in the bible, the word his is in italics. There is no word his in the original text. And then it's the name Son. Why doesn't it say his Son, or in the Son? It's because he's showing contrast of instruments that God uses. When we get to Chapter 2, he will name the Son, who is Jesus Christ.
So, He was in the prophets, speaking at various times, and in various ways, but has upon the last of the last days, spoken to us in Son. What this is saying is that in the last days, the instrument that God uses is not the prophets, not various other ways like a burning bush, but He has upon the last segment of these last days spoken to us in a Son.
(Hebrews Part 1):
Written to Hebrew Christians. The author is unknown. Hebrews was written to warn against apostasy during persecution. The theme of Hebrews is "The just shall live by faith."
Hebrews 1:1 - God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
It says God, who at sundry times and in divers manners. Sundry times means various times. And in various ways. In other words, in the Old Testament, God worked through progressive revelation. God manifested certain truths about Himself through certain stages of history, and through different people. And not just people, but different things, like the burning bush, or some of these other epiphanies where God revealed Himself through circumstances, and even animals, as far as that's concerned.
So, in many times, and in many ways, God spoke in time past, indicating that He's about ready to tell us that He doesn't do this anymore. He doesn't work this way anymore. In time past, He spoke to the fathers, and that would be the patriarchs. He spoke to the fathers.
And then the key to this, the instruments: by the prophets. The literal translation is not by the prophets, but in the prophets. The Greek text indicates that He wasn't just speaking through them. He was in them. He was in the prophets.
Hebrews 1:4 Continued:
Who being the brightness of His glory. The word brightness is literally translated out beam from the word APAUGASMA which means the out beam of His glory. It can be described by taking a flashlight to the back of a dark room and shining it on a wall at the opposite side of the room. You can get a concept in your mind about what God did when He travelled through and projected Himself through the time/space factor, and took up residency in the person of Christ, yet while being God. APAUGASMA is the same word used for a projector, or for a flashlight shining. As it projects, there's an out beam, and you can see whatever image is being projected. This would be the out beam, and what you see on the slide would be the image.
If you combine APAUGASMA with EICON, which is the word image, it's the same terminology in the Greek language that is talking about your source of light and power remaining the same. This is telling us that Jesus Christ is the projection of God through the time space barrier, and He has taken up residency amongst us as human beings, while never being separate from the source.
This is the function of God. He is the APUAGASMA of His glory, the out beam of glory, the projection of the glory of God through time and space, becoming one of us, while never leaving or being separated from the source, God Himself.
The term for "express image" in Verse 3 is the word CHARAKTER. It's where we get our English word character from. What this is saying is that God has projected Himself through the time/space factor, and the image that was projected is the exact representation and image and substance of God. That's why Jesus said if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. The Father and I are one!
Lastly, His provision. When he had by Himself purged our sins, and the word when is literally translated after. It's an Aorist Participle. Please notice that it says by Himself. Nobody else but Jesus cleansed our sins.
Thanks for all the wonderful information you give concerning greek words.
I agree that Jesus is God, came from God, and remained God while also human.
I believe the incarnation this way. The Son, who always has been Divine with the Father and the Holy Spirit, was sent by the Father to be our Savior in the flesh. In eternity past, the Son's constitution was as Spirit, just like the Father and the Holy Spirit.
When the Father sent the Son, it was the Person of the Son who took on humanity with all of its aspects. I do not believe that the Son indwelled an existing human person. Rather, I believe that the Person of Jesus Christ took upon His divinity a humanity as a nature, therefore having two natures but being only one Person, not two persons in one human body.
Therefore, I believe we worship one Person as our Savior not two persons, a divine and another human Person.
And I believe that this One Person, Jesus Christ, had two distinct natures that were united in this one body but the natures were not mixed so as to possess a third type of nature of human/divine. Rather, I believe that Jesus had a human nature and a divine nature who abided in His one human body, being only and always, the divine Person of the Godhead, and never a second human person He took over with His divinity.
If He put Himself as a divine person into an existing human person, we would have two persons as our Savior.
I realize this is somewhat a technical matter, but I think it is very important to clarify. Jesus was God with us as a Person who indwelt a human body, not another person who was human.
I look forward to the rest of your postings on Hebrews as, next to Romans, it is one of my favorite Epistles and it is packed with so much doctrine that truly matters in our life and worship of our God and Savior.
Blessings to you today.
Hebrews 1:3 - 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;
Where it says the right hand of the Majesty on high, in the Greek text the word hand is not there. It literally reads He sat down on the right of the majesty on high. This shows a position of authority. He's the inheritor. He's the creator. And He's the ruler of all things.
Hebrews 1:4 - Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Some might call this rank. His rank is above the angels. He's inherited a name that is better than they. The author is not saying that the name Jesus Christ is better than they (even though we know that's true), but he's talking about the name Son.
Of the four comparisons that he makes, the Son is the inheritor of all things. Did any of the prophets inherit the things of God? He's the creator of all things. None of the prophets created the world. He's the ruler of all things. He's now seated in the position of authority, and He is in rank the Son. He's obtained a name that is greater than the angels. So, we have Him as inheritor, creator, ruler, and rank.
If you go back to Verse 3, there are four characteristics of the Son. And these are participles in the text, which means that this Son that sat down on the right of the throne of God, He was in existence at the time, with these four things:
Hebrews 1:2 Continued:
God has spoken to us. His last spokesperson, the last instrument that God used to minister to us, is His Son. It's very important to see the contrast between the superiority of Jesus Christ in comparison to the prophets. Those days are over. There are no more messages to various people. So, upon, or during the last part of the last days, God spoke to us in a Son. There's no more speaking to us through the prophets, or various items. In His Son, He has the last word.
It goes on to say, "by whom also He made the worlds." The word "worlds" is literally the word ages, which denote epics of time, stages of time in history. So, first of all we had Him as the inheritor. Now He is the creator. He's the one through whom God created all things.
John 1:3 tells us that all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. He is the inheritor of all things. He is the creator of all things.
Hebrews 1:2 - 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;
In these last days seems like it's just another phrase that we see throughout the bible. But in the Greek text, it's literally translated upon the last of these days. It's found in Daniel 10:14 and the Jews would know what it means by the phrase upon the last of these days. The believing Jews knew that we were in the last days, and we still are today. But on the last part of the last days, God has done something different.
Upon the last of these days, God hath spoken to us. And there are two things about the literal translation. The word "by" is the word in. And if you notice in the bible, the word his is in italics. There is no word his in the original text. And then it's the name Son. Why doesn't it say his Son, or in the Son? It's because he's showing contrast of instruments that God uses. When we get to Chapter 2, he will name the Son, who is Jesus Christ.
So, He was in the prophets, speaking at various times, and in various ways, but has upon the last of the last days, spoken to us in Son. What this is saying is that in the last days, the instrument that God uses is not the prophets, not various other ways like a burning bush, but He has upon the last segment of these last days spoken to us in a Son.
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