1 God, who at sundry times and in
divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
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;
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:
What does it mean
that Jesus is the brightness and glory of God and also the express image of the
God’s person? Does this mean that Jesus is also God, either in the Trinitarian
sense or semi arian sense? First, we have to understand this verse in its
context. Hebrews 1 is all about the exaltation of the risen and ascended
Messiah. Too many Christians read verse 3 and grab it of its context. Again,
the context in chapter is all about the ascension of Christ into heaven. We can
see this all throughout the chapter as verse 1 and 2 begins by referencing the
earthly ministry of Jesus which the author refers to as the last days.
In verse 3, which is
the subject we are discussing, the description of Jesus as the express image of
God’s person and brightness of His glory is in the context of Him being sat
down on the right hand of God after purging our sins by way of the cross. So
the question remains, does the description of Jesus in verse make Him God,
whether in the Trinitarian sense or the semi arian one?
First let’s address
the phrase “brightness of His glory”. The “His” being referred to is obviously
the Father. Throughout scripture the Father is referred to as light, light
unapproachable, a consuming fire etc. Jesus Himself said that God is a Spirit.
Scripture also without controversy teaches us that Jesus is a man. Most
Christians agree that Jesus is a man but disagree on what kind of divine nature
he has. The phrase brightness of His glory is actually easy to grasp, let’s
look at 2 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 7
“But if the ministration of
death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of
Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his
countenance; which glory was to be done away”
When Moses communed with God his face shone
with glory insomuch that the Israelites could no behold his face. It’s
important to note that is was Moses being in the presence of God that gave him
this glory. The result of this glory was that his face shined brightly.
Verse 13 of 2 Corinthians 3:
“And not as Moses, which put a
veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to
the end of that which is abolished”
Moses even had to put a veil over his face
so that the children of Israel would not be exposed to the glory that shone on
his face. Of course, the glory that shone on the face of Moses faded because
that was something that was bestowed upon him due to being in the presence of
God. It was not something he had on his own.
Now let’s go to the transfiguration of
Jesus
Matthew 17:1-5
1 And after six days Jesus taketh
Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain
apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and
his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them
Moses and Elias talking with him.
4 Then answered Peter, and said unto
Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three
tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright
cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This
is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
Here Jesus face was
transfigured resulting in it shining like the sun. This took place on a
mountain, similar to Moses experience, and it took place in the presence of
Jehovah God who affirmed the Sonship of Jesus (verse 5). Jesus wasn’t walking
around with His face shining but this was an experience due to His being in the
presence of the Father.
The glory that shone
from the face of Moses and Jesus was the brightness of God. What’s the
difference between Moses and Jesus in this respect? Moses experience was
temporal whereas the Son of God is the present tense brightness of God’s glory
to His resurrection and ascension. Moses
is now dead and in the grave whereas Jesus is currently on God’s right hand
experiencing the Shekinah glory that is the Father i.e. His unapproachable
light. Paul describes the Son of God dwelling in the unapproachable light:
1 Timothy 6:14-16
14 That thou keep this commandment without
spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
15 Which in his times he shall shew, who
is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in
the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see:
to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
Here Jesus Christ is
the one that Paul identifies as only having immortality in the context of men
as Jesus is the firstborn from the dead. Paul says He dwells in the light which
no man can approach. This light is the Father as only the Father can be
described as the one who no man has seen nor can see. Many have seen Jesus so
this is clearly about the Father. Since Jesus dwells in the light of the Father
who is Gid then it makes sense that He is described as the brightness of God’s
glory. Stephen saw this picture as he was getting stoned by the Christ
rejecting Jews:
Acts 7:55-56
55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost,
looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing
on the right hand of God,
56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens
opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
Stephen saw the glory
of God the Father and Jesus standing on His right hand. This is a picture of
the risen and ascended Jesus. If Jesus is on God’s right hand then it is no
surprise that He Himself is enveloped with that glory. This is why He is
described as the brightness of God’s glory, because He sits on the throne of
God on God’s right hand. The throne of God is the lid of the ark of the
covenant which is the mercyseat, on which two cherubim stand/sit on the edges.
The ark of the covenant in the holy of holies is where the glorious presence of
Jehovah would dwell. Let’s see an example of this from scripture:
Exodus 25:21-22
21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above
upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give
thee.
22 And there I will meet with thee, and I
will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two
cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will
give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
The holy of holies is
where Jehovah would commune with Moses between the cherubim which sat on the
mercyseat which is the lid of the ark of the covenant. When we read the book of
Hebrews, it is clear that the Son of God went right into the holy of holies to
be enthroned on God’s very throne. This is where he sits now as the anointed
King of Israel. Jesus Kingship and priesthood is operated in the very presence
of God’s glory which dwells in the holy of holies and also throughout His
heavenly temple. Let’s look at another passage from Exodus to see this:
Exodus 40:34-35
34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the
congregation, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle.
35 And Moses was not able to enter into
the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of
the Lord filled the tabernacle.
So not only would
Jehovah’s glory rest in the holy of holies but at times fill the whole
sanctuary which also included the holy place. Jesus being the brightness of
God’s glory has nothing to do with some type of substance in terms of His DNA
but rather it is situational in terms of His position as the risen Christ and
in terms of the location of His throne.
John 1:18
“No man hath seen God at any time, the only
begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
John says that the ONLY BEGOTTEN Son is in
the bosom of the Father. This is a present tense statement about the risen
Christ. Many people miss pout on what this actually means. While it is true
that this denotes the close relationship between the Father and His Son it also
can be taken literally in that Jesus is at the right hand of God in the holy of
holies. Since Jehovah God’s glory, which is His presence, fills the holy of
holies it can be said that Jesus is literally residing the in the Father’s
bosom. Jehovah’s Shekinah glory envelops the Son of God hence the Son is the
brightness of His glory. Let’s look at
the book of Revelation chapter 21 for a beautiful picture of this:
23 And the city had no need
of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did
lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
The Lamb Jesus is the light of the glory of
God. Again, it’s important to remember that this is describing the risen Christ
and it is because of all that was mentioned previously that Jesus is the light
of the glory of God.
Revelation 21:22
“And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord
God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”
This is the verse before 23 and it says
that the Jehovah and Jesus are the temple of New Jerusalem showing that the Son
dwells in the Father’s presence which gives the answer of how He is the light
of God.
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