Hebrews 1:5 reports the following words of the Father to Jesus: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You” (NKJV). What does it mean that Jesus was “begotten,” and when did this happen? Does not this show that Jesus was somehow created by God sometime way in the past, as many believe? Read Hebrews 1:5; 2 Samuel 7:12-14; Psalm … Continue reading –>
Hebrews affirms that God created the world “through” or “by” Jesus and that Jesus sustains the world with His powerful word. Read Isaiah 44:24, Isaiah 45:18, and Nehemiah 9:6. Because in the Old Testament the Lord affirmed that He created the world “alone” and that He is the “only God,” how can we reconcile this affirmation with the … Continue reading –>
Read Hebrews 1:2-4. What are some of the things that this passage teaches us about Jesus? In this section, we will focus on the portion that says, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3, ESV). Read Exodus 24:16-17; Psalm 4:6; Psalm 36:9; and Psalm 89:15. How do these texts help … Continue reading –>
Read Hebrews 1:1-4. What is the central idea of these verses? In the original Greek, Hebrews 1:1-4 is only one sentence, and it has been argued that it is the most beautiful in all the New Testament from the point of view of its rhetorical artistry. Its main assertion is that God has spoken to us through His … Continue reading –>
The first paragraph of Hebrews reveals that Paul believed he was living in “the last days.” Scripture employs two expressions about the future that have different meanings. The prophets used the expression “last days” or “latter days” to talk about the future in general (Deuteronomy 4:30-31; Jeremiah 23:20). The prophet Daniel used a second expression, “the … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon, Read for This Week’s Study: Isaiah 2:2-3; Hebrews 1:1–4; Exodus 24:16-17; Isaiah 44:24; Hebrews 1:10; Luke 1:31-32; Hebrews 1:5. Memory Text: “But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the … Continue reading –>
Miraculous Rock By Andrew McChesney A miracle rock stopped the pickup truck of Bounprany Vannady, who was serving as president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Laos. It was just an ordinary creek. Any car could pass through its shallow waters easily. No car was known to have ever gotten stuck there. But the pickup … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Despite all the good and hopeful truths in the book of Hebrews, there is also a series of warnings that reach their climax in chapters 10-12. These sections have at least two common elements. First, they all compare the desert generation with the readers of Hebrews. Second, they exhort us to have faith. … Continue reading –>
Hebrews Chapters 8-10 focuses on the work of Jesus as Mediator of a new covenant. The issue with the old covenant was simply that it was only a foreshadowing of the good things that would come. Its institutions were designed to prefigure, to illustrate, the work that Jesus would do in the future. Thus, the … Continue reading –>
Hebrews Chapters 5-7 introduces a second function of Jesus. He is our High Priest. The author explains that this fulfills a promise God had made to the promised Davidic king, that He would be “a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4, as quoted in Hebrews 5:5-6, NKJV). Read Leviticus 1:1-9, Leviticus 10:8-11, Malachi 2:7, Numbers 6:22-26, … Continue reading –>
