Hebrews chapter 1

Hebrews 1:1-14 (ASV)

1God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners,2hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in [his] Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds;3who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;4having become by so much better than the angels, as he hath inherited a more excellent name than they.5For 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?6And when he again bringeth in the firstborn into the world he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.7And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels winds, And his ministers a flame a fire:8but of the Son [he saith,] Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; And the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.9Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee With the oil of gladness above thy fellows.10And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the works of thy hands:11They shall perish; but thou continuest: And they all shall wax old as doth a garment;12And as a mantle shalt thou roll them up, As a garment, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, And thy years shall not fail.13But of which of the angels hath he said at any time, Sit thou on my right hand, Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet?14Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation?

Verse 1, Jehovah God spoke through the prophets in the old testament times to the patriarchs of Israel. God did this in various ways.

Verse 2, everything after the Messiah's resurrection and ascension into heaven is the last days. The last days are not confined to a literal 7 year period but rather they span the age of the new covenant Church. It was only in these last days that God spoke through His Son Jehoshua. In times past (old testament) it was the prophets. Jehovah God appointed Jehoshua the heir of all things showing us that all these things weren't inherently under Jehoshua's authority but rather had to be appointed (given) to Him. This shows that God the Father has authority and headship over Jehoshua and that Jehoshua had to be appointed Kingship. This shows that Jehoshua is not God but rather the appointed heir of God.

Jehoshua was predestined by Jehovah God before the world began to be the eternal Messianic King (1 Peter 1:18-21). We can rightly say it was before the foundation of the world that Jehoshua was appointed heir of all
things. The appointed heir was then born of Joseph and Mary and inherited all things by His work of redemption (Psalm 2:8; Phil 2:9-11).

"Through whom also He made the worlds"

This part of verse 2 on the surface appears to place the Son of God as a preexistent being at the Genesis creation account, however the word "world" here literally means "ages". What this verse is saying is that Jehovah God designed (made) the ages through or because of Jehoshua.

The ages throughout human history have been designed with Jehoshua in intention. Going all the way back to Genesis 3:15 when the descendant of the woman would bruise Satan  this was a prophecy about the Messiah. The covenant made with Abraham was another prophecy about the Messiah. The mosaic covenant pointed forward to the new covenant made with the Messiah's shed blood. The Davidic covenant again was made with Jehoshua in mind. The current age we live in was designed as the Messianic age in which Jehoshua came and fulfilled prophecy and established His millennial Kingdom and everything was made subject unto Him.

The new heaven and new earth is designed with Jehoshua in intention as He will consummate His Kingdom on the earth. None of this requires a preexistent Messiah but rather that God foreordained the Messiah to inherit all these things. All the covenants and ages were made (designed) to be fulfilled in the Son of God at the appointed times.

Verse 3 of Hebrews 1, the risen Jehoshua is the brightness of the Father's glory. Many mistake this as a preexistent text or when Jehoshua walked the earth. The context in Hebrews 1 is about the risen and exalted Son of God, not Him in a preexistent state of being.  While the glory of Jehovah God shone through Messiah at times during His earthly ministry, it wasn't until the Messiah's resurrection and ascension that the visible attributes of God were made manifest in Jehoshua in full. See the book of Revelation for this.

Jehoshua is the express image of God the Father. Again, this is a present tense statement by the author of Hebrews referring to the resurrected Lamb of God. The word "is" is key because it indicates a present state of being of the Son of God not a past tense state of being meaning prior to His resurrection and ascension. The Son of God is truly divine by way of His resurrection from the dead and the fulness of the Godhead fully dwells in Him (Colossians 2:9). Many mistake Colossians 2:9 to be referring to a preexistent state of being of Jehoshua or when He walked the earth, however this is a present tense post resurrection statement by Paul.

Jehoshua Messiah was begotten from the dead as the divine Son of God fully clothed and indwelt by Jehovah God's divine nature, given a perfect spiritual body. The description of the Messiah in the book of Revelation shows this.

While Jehoshua received a foretaste of this when He was baptized it wasn't until His resurrection and ascension when He was made fully divine.

Jehoshua being the express image of God denotes not only visible attributes but also character. Jehoshua is the perfect and exact representation of the Father's character.

"Upholding all things by the word of His power"

The resurrected Son of God providentially govens all creation and is bringing history to a final and glorious end or purpose.

When did Jehoshua began to uphold all things by the word of His power? Verse 3 gives us the answer:

"When He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high"

Jehoshua's death on the cross fulfilled the day of atonement, His resurrection fulfilled the day of firstfruits being the firstborn from the dead. His ascension into heaven resulted in Him being sat on the throne of David fullfilling the Davidic covenant, which means He was enthroned as King over all creation as all things were made subject unto Him (1 Peter 3:22). Therefore all things are upheld by the word of His authority given to Him by the Father. God the Father is the Majesty in which Jehoshua is on the right hand, see Psalm 110:1.

Verse 4 of Hebrews 1:

"having become by so much better than the angels, as he hath inherited a more excellent name than they."

Having become or being made in is respect to the Messiah's resurrection. Having become or being made can also be rendered to come into existence i.e. begotten and in context its not His birth but rather His resurrection in which He was made better than the angels. Jehoshua was begotten (being made) from the dead meaning He was born again and came into existence from the dead. In His born again (begotten) state of being He became so much better than the angels. This cannot be about His birth because in Hebrews chapter 2 it says He was made a little lower than the angels - Hebrews 2:9:

"But we see Jehoshua, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man."

So clearly Jehoshua being made (ginomai-come into being) better than the angels refers to His resurrection and ascension as He is the first begotten from the dead.

Why is Jehoshua so much better than the angels?

"He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they"

Jehoshua was foreordained to the be the Son of God and King of Israel (1 Peter 1:18-21). This was His inheritance and glory before the world began (John 17:5). What is the more excellent name that Jehoshua has obtained? The word "name" (onoma-G 3686) means authority and character.

Verse 5 of Hebrews gives us the answer of what the more excellent name Jehoshua obtained. Remember, this name is tied to His inheritance. Ephesians 1:4 says that we have been predestined unto the adoption of sons by Jehoshua Messiah. If we have been predestined as sons of God then how much more Jehoshua? Our inheritance as believers is sonship and Jehoshua is called the firstborn Son of the resurrection. His inheritance was also Sonship but in a far greater way.

Galatians 4:4-6 highlights the purpose of God sending His Son Jehoshua to us as a ransom and that purpose is to become sons of God by way of adoption. This was God's predestined will. Jehoshua is our elder brother and God's only begotten Son meaning the Son of inheritance i.e. the firstborn Son.

Back to Hebrews 1, lets go to verse 5 for the answer to verse 4:

"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?"

The more excellent name that Jehoshua obtained which makes Him so much better than the angels is told to us here in verse 5. The reason Jehoshua is so much better than the angels is because God never gave any angel the excellent name of the "only begotten Son of God."

Angels are called sons of God elsewhere in the bible, however this title of "begotten Son of God" is a Royal Davidic reference to the covenant made with David by Jehovah God in 2nd Samuel chapter 7. In that chapter, there would be a future Davidic King who would establish the throne of David and Kingdom of Israel forever and be an eternal King Himself. This Davidic theme is weaved throughout the thread of the old testament and the future eternal Davidic King was the hope of Israel that they often eagerly awaited for.

This covenant was made with a man and not an angel. Angels are called sons of God in that they are created by God as divine heavenly beings, however David's royal seed is called the son/s of God by an eternal covenant of Kingship.

Psalm.2:7 is quoted in verse 5 of Hebrews 1 and it is a royal coronation hymm denoting the coronation of the Davidic King which is equivalent to the King being adopted into Sonship by Jehovah God. The word "begotten" in Hebrew (yalad) can also mean "to declare pedigrees" and doesn't always mean a literal conception or birth. In the Greek it can also have a figurative i.e. spiritual rather than literal meaning.

The declaring of Jehoshua's pedigree here in Hebrews 1:5 is that He is God's anointed King which brings Him into a covenant Father-Son relationship with Jehovah. The title Son of God and King of Israel go hand in hand and are equivalent titles. Lets read Nathanael's confession of who Jehoshua is in John 1:49:

"Nathanael answered him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art King of Israel."

Son of God in the Hebraic mindset had to do with Kingship (Messiahship) not ontological and this Kingship was tied to the Davidic covenant. Son of God and King of Israel are eqauted titles.

This confession of who Jehoshua is by Nathanael took place right after Jehoshua's baptism, in which Psalm 2:7 was quoted according to some of the earliest manuscripts in Luke 3:22 and Matthew 3:16. Either way as the baptismal accounts read now, Psalm 2:7 is still the inspiration for the words "this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased". This is why you will see Psalm 2:7 referenced in the footnotes for the baptismal accounts in most bibles.

The name Son of God denotes having the authority as the King of Israel, Jehovah's chosen Vice Regent who sits at His right hand. This is what our savior inherited as Jehoshua entered into a covenant Father-Son relationship at His baptism as He was anointed as the King of Israel.

Lets now go to verse 6 of Hebrews 1:

"And when he again bringeth in the firstborn into the world he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him."

This is likely a reference to the Son of God's ascension into glory (Psalm 89:27). "World" not the typical Greek word referring to the present world but to the world to come (Hebrews 2:5). The New Jerusalem in which the Messiah sits on the throne of David is the capital city of the world to come. New Jerusalem will come down out of heaven and be situated as the capital city of new heaven and new earth i.e. the world to come. The angels of God worshipped Jehoshua upon His ascension into heaven:

Revelation 5:11-13 (KJV)

1And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;12Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.13And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

Upon His ascension, Jehoshua received riches, wisdom, glory, blessing, honor and power as that was His inheritance from before the foundation of the world and the glory that He had stored up for Him with the Father before the world was (John 17:5). Jehoshua was enthroned as King of Israel upon His ascension into heaven as we will read shortly and in being enthroned received the riches promised Him.

Verse 7 of Hebrews 1:

"And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire."

In contrast to the only begotten Son Jehoshua,  angels are spirits and flames of fire. They are God's ministers. This eliminates Jehoshua from being any kind of preexistent angel including the "angel of Jehovah" who became a flaming fire i.e. burning bush in Exodus chapter 3. Jehoshua is not a spirit but He is a man of the seed of David clothed in the full divine nature of Jehovah God.

Verses 8 and 9 of Hebrews 1:

8but of the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; And the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.9Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee With the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

This is one of the most powerful passages in all of scripture as it is the ultimate fufillment of the oath made to David by Jehovah (2 Samuel 7). It is here that Jehoshua is enthroned as the King of Israel which is His new covenant Church. Jehoshua's brother James acknowledged that the tabernacle of David, formerly in ruins, was now being built and set up by Jehovah God in the establishment (Jewish believers) and growth of the Church (Jewish and Gentile believers).

Acts 15;16-17 (ASV)

16After these things I will return, And I will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen; And I will build again the ruins thereof, And I will set it up:17That the residue of men may seek after the Lord, And all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called

The arrival of the Gentiles into the Commonwealth of Israel was a fufillment of prophecy in that David's Kingdom (tabernacle) would be re-established.

In order for the tabernacle of David to be restored, there needed to be a King from the seed of David sitting on the throne. This was fulfilled in Hebrews 1:8-9 which in context is about the ascension and exaltation of Jehoshua Messiah. Hebrews 1:8-9 is quoted from Psalm 45:5-6 which is a coronation hymm regarding the enthronement of an Israelite King. This shows us without controversy that the very throne that Jehoshua is inheriting and being established on in this passage is the throne of David.

Peter confirms this in the first new covenant sermon preached in the book of Acts:

Acts 2:30-31 (ASV)

30Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins he would set one upon his throne;31he foreseeing [this] spake of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he left unto Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.

Peter connects the resurrection with the fufillment of the Davidic covenant, that one from David's loins (male sexual organs) would sit on his (David's) throne. This clearly shows us that upon the resurrection and ascension into heaven of Jehoshua that He sat on the throne of David.

Many might say that the throne that Jehoshua sat on at His ascension was actually God's throne however they fail to see that David's throne was also called the throne of Jehovah God:

1 Chronicles 29:23 (ASV)

23Then Solomon sat on the throne of Jehovah as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.

The throne of David here in 1st Chronicles is also called the throne of Jehovah God. To sit on the throne of David was eqauted with sitting on Jehovah's throne as the King of Israel was in a Father-Son covenant relationship with Jehovah. The King of Israel was given the authority of Jehovah God to function as His vice regent on the earth.

Jehoshua functions as Jehovah's vice regent not only on the earth, but also in heaven as He has authority over angels, authorities and powers (1 Peter 3:22).

Now back to the text in Hebrews, the Father calls the Son "God" which in this respect is an honorific title bestowed upon the King of Israel. Psalm 45, in which this passage is quoted from, in its immediate context is about an earthly Israelite king likely Solomon. The word "God" is flexible and is used in the bible for angels, Moses, Satan and also the judges of Israel (Psalm 82). The word "God" means a mighty one and also can apply to Israelite kings such as in Isaiah 9:6 and the aforementioned Psalm 45.

The throne that the Son of God was installed on in Hebrews 1;8-9 is His throne forever according to God the Father. This shows that Jehoshua is not going to change thrones after He comes back to earth and that the throne He was installed on in Hebrews 1 is the same throne He will be sitting on through eternity. Thr future Messiah was only promised one throne and one Kingdom and that was the throne of David and the Kingdom of Israel and Jehoshua is given both a throne and a Kingdom in verses 8 and 9.

Jehoshua rules His Kingdom with a sceptre of righteousness which was prophesied in Isaiah 9:7

"Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this."

Jehoshua has been proven to already be on the throne of David  thereby having a Kingdom as every King has. This Kingdom is the Commonwealth of Israel (Eph 2) which includes believing Hebrews and Gentiles. This is what is commonly called the Church yet not the institutional churches.

Jehoshua will and has established His Kingdom with justice and judgment i.e righteousness. If sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4), then righteousness is the keeping of the law (torah). Those Churches teaching lawlessness are not in covenant with the Son of God.

Jehoshua was given the throne of David because He hated iniquity (lawlessness) and if we are said to reign with Him in the holy of holies and also were made kings and priests then we also must hate iniquity and love righteousness. Christians who believe that they dont have to keep the commandments of God are then disqaulified from being kings and priests.

The very reason why Jehoshua will cast many professing Christians into the lake of fire is precisley because they were workers of lawlessness (iniquity).

"Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee With the oil of gladness above thy fellows."

Again the Father calls Jehoshua God which the Davidic king is called in Isaiah 9:6 and Psalm 45:5-6. Its an honorific title. The Israelite  King is a mighty god (mighty one). This verse clearly shows that Jehoshua was anointed upon His ascension into heaven and being sat on the throne. This shows that indeed Jehoshua is being anointed as the King of Israel as this is precisely how the kings were installed by being anointed with oil and enthroned. Add the fact that this very passage is quoted from a coronation hymm of an Israelite King and without controversy Jehoshua is being installed on the throne of David as Israel's King.

Verses 10-12 of Hebrews 1:

10And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the works of thy hands:11They shall perish; but thou continuest: And they all shall wax old as doth a garment;12And as a mantle shalt thou roll them up, As a garment, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, And thy years shall not fail.

Many say that the above verses are in reference to Jehoshua being involved in the Genesis creation however the text (Psalm 102) in which it is quoted from shows clearly that it is about God the Father. The author here in verse 10-12 turns his attention to Jehovah God and His unchanging nature (verse 12) and affirming that He is the creator of the heavens and the earth.

All throughout scripture the Father is acknowledged as the creator of the heavens and the earth.

Revelation 4:11 (ASV)

11Worthy art thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power: for thou didst create all things, and because of thy will they were, and were created.

In context this passage is obviously about God the Father as the Son of God doesn't come on the scene until chapter 5 of Revelation verse 5. There are many other passages that identify God the Father as the creator so there is no reason to think that the author of Hebrews is referring to the Son as the LORD Creator in verses 10-12.

The author is letting us know that it is the Almighty Jehovah God, the creator of all things, that exalted Jehoshua to the position of King and far above all the angels. I believe the author is quoting Psalm 102 to legitmatize the validity of the Son's throne and the absolute perogative of God the Father to exalt His Son above all angels and subject all things in heaven and earth to Him.

Verses 11 and 12 are a reference to the day of Jehovah when the cosmic and earth disturbances end this current creation and subsequently a new creation follows in the form of a new heavens and new earth. Some Unitarians try to make this passage about the Son and the new creation about the millennium with the folded up creation being what Jehoshua established with His resurrection and the reordering of all things under His authority (Col:15-16).

This understanding is complicating things a bit since Psalm 102 is clearly about the Father being the LORD who created all things i.e. the heavens and the earth. Nowhere in scripture is Jehoshua identified as the creator of the heavens and the earth themselves but rather all things within heaven and earth that are thrones, Powers, prinicipalities and dominions (Colossians 1:15).

Verses 13 and 14 of Hebrews 1:

13But of which of the angels hath he said at any time, Sit thou on my right hand, Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet?14Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation?

No angel was ever told to sit on Jehovah's throne at His right hand. This privilege is reserved for the royal house of David as this quotation comes from Psalm 110:1:

1Jehovah saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Here David is prophesying of the Messiah's exaltation into heaven at God's right hand. In view is Jehoshua's enthronement as King of Israel and installment into the Melchizedek priesthood (verse 4 of Psalm 110). As David ruled over an earthly kingdom from earthly Jerusalem, Jehoshua rules over a universal Kingdom from New Jerusalem in heaven.

Again, verse 13 could not be any more clear no angel including Michael is qaulified to sit on the throne of David i.e. the throne of Jehovah God. The whole book of Hebrews is pointless, especially chapter 1, if Jehoshua was at one time an angel or is currently an angel. The author of Hebrews is going out of his way to refute this idea and making it clear that it is a descendant of David that is the Son of God and King of Israel and ruler over all creation and is sitting on the throne of Jehovah God.

Verse 14 tells us the purpose of angels which is that they are ministering spirits sent forth to minister to the saints. Jehoshua is explicitly said in this chapter not to be an angel that is a spirit or flame of fire eliminating any type of angelic Christology.