Hebrews 1:1-4 - God's Final Revelation

Hebrews 1:1-4
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

Message: God's Final Revelation

Time: Hebrews was written to a group of Christians who had suffered in the past and were now threatened with even more suffering. They'd done well years ago, but the author of Hebrews feared that they might now turn away from Christ to avoid further persecution.The opinions on the author of Hebrews has varied.

What the Lord is Saying:

Preface - In these lessons thus far, the focus has been on the doctrine of authority/scripture alone/revelation. I've looked at the difference between natural revelation and special revelation. Natural revelation is revealed through God's creation. It provides a testimony of God, but is not meant to save us. It hopefully helps lead us into a personal identification of our own sin, but often for the non-Christian, although it is there and God gave it, a person exchanges that revelation for a lie and worships the creation rather than the creator. God has given us special revelation through the prophets and apostles and also through the work of sending God, the Son, to earth to speak to man and provide man a physical representation of God, like himself.

As I study these forms of revelation, it is no mystery that many people still believe God can speak through special revelation today and after the revelation that ended with the Apostles. This study from Tabletalk comes from the Reformers of 500 years ago and they believed in the doctrine of sola Scriptura -- the only source of special revelation for the church today is the Bible. God does speak in many ways, but this passage in Hebrews voices that He has spoken finally and definitively in His Son. God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son.  I can see the struggle because once it opens up the idea that God speaks through special revelation today, then who has final authority or which brand is the best. Instead of Christianity, is it Catholicism, Mormonism, Islam, Hinduism, Jehovah's Witness - who is it because all believe in special revelation today.

There is a three-fold designation of special revelation: God's Son (Jesus), other New Testament revelation/Apostles, and the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms - Jesus said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." 

Beyond Jesus and his earthly ministry, there are other New Testament writers that speak beyond the Lord's earthly ministry, following His resurrection. These words come though from direct eye-witnesses of the resurrection. And only direct eye-witnesses can confirm other Apostles. Thus, special revelation ended with the death of the Last Apostle in the first century. Acts 1:12-26 records the candidates of Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias to the group of Apostles. The idea presented was a man was to be selected, but he had to be one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us. The lot fell then to Matthias to join the group of Apostles and restore it to 12 after the departure of Judas Iscariot. It is interesting that the Gospel of Matthias is a lost book, so there was a writing by Matthias. So the Apostles were important and significant. Peter quotes from Psalm 109:8 to apply the words there of Let another take his office to support the replacement of Judas Iscariot.

Yet, we have the words of Paul written to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. It is spoken that Paul went to visit Cephas (Peter) and spent time with him - Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days (Galatians 1:18) and then also Paul with Titus is mentioned visiting Barnabas - Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me (Galatians 2:1). Paul had received a revelation from Jesus to visit them. It started with Jesus revealing himself to Paul at his conversion.

The conclusion is that God's final revelation came by way of the Apostles after Jesus was resurrected. In addition Paul testifies of a personal revelation from Jesus. I must admit confused a little by this, not from the sake of questioning anything he said, but because there are others that stated a personal revelation and have been rejected. I believe Paul's authority is not based though on this personal revelation but rather the thought that the eyewitness apostles commissioned him or confirmed him.

Promise: We should be content with what we have as after the dying of eyewitness apostles, the passing on of confirming authority ended.

Prayer: Lord, I do thank you for the study of doctrine. It is helpful for me to understand thinking and conclusions on these subjects that in many ways I have not pondered. Thank you for the work of the Holy Spirit in speaking to me. Help me to filter out my own understanding and trust instead in You Lord only. Give me wisdom in trusting Your word each day and being confident in your truth. Give me wisdom and understanding Lord.


Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.

Genesis 40 - Special Revelation

Genesis 40:8
Then they said to him, “We have had a dream and there is no one to interpret it.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me, please.”

Message: Special Revelation

Time: Genesis is the first book and Moses is credited as authoring. The book spans 2400 years of time. It was originally written in Hebrew.

What the Lord is Saying:

As I think more about this doctrine of scripture and what it teaches me and all of us. I've been pondering revelation and looking at natural and now special. Natural is what we see through the created order. Words are spoken, not actual words, but the creation testifies of who God is. It reminds us that there is in fact a God. We see God through the order of our human bodies and the intricacy of how we are made. We see God through the creation, the sky above (the heavens) and the land beside and the sea. These things are evident to man. They are not often enough to save man, but they show man that there is God. And then man can look inward and see the frailty of his own human condition.

Our world thinks if it can explain away this creation then it defends it's notion that there isn't any created order but instead small, gradual changes over time.

The Westminster Confession of Faith states that natural revelation is insufficient "to give that knowledge of God, and of his will, which is necessary unto salvation." I am reminded of the message last Sunday and the idea that John came to prepare the way of the Lord and to help people see the wilderness that we live in. So there was special revelation needed to help man see his condition.

The idea here of special revelation is God speaks and God speaks to man. Our reading of scriptures testifies that God spoke to man for the words of the Bible have been identified as the texts that speak forth this special revelation. But how did it come about? Special revelation is necessary so that God can reveal the way of salvation and what it means to truly live in a manner that pleases Him.

Genesis 40 is about Joseph interpreting dreams. In response to a dream, Joseph responds that interpretations belong to God and Joseph has been given the means to interpret dreams. Dreams do speak to us. I had a dream speak to me in my life about Pamela. I'm confident in that. But, I haven't been able to interpret anyone else's dreams and yet many others have dreams and so sometimes it seems that dream interpretation is left to the person having the dream.

I think this idea of special revelation is hard because different men like Muhammad, Joseph Smith, and others have claimed receiving this special revelation. And through those revelations other belief systems have sprouted up. The problem was that the revelation given to the Bible writers is thought to be incomplete or not sufficient. The traditional Christian view is that this special revelation ceased by the end of the first century. Although dreams can still speak to us today, they are personal revelations rather than revelations for all mankind. The death of the apostles ceased this special revelation.

Promise: We have all the revelation from God that we need. We must study the Old and New Testaments to know His will.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for speaking through men of the past and thank you that I can trust Your revelation and that it is complete for all time. You are great God and your ways are great. Thank you for the order of your creation and how it speaks of You and thank you for sending a man, your son, Jesus, to earth, because man needed to see God and hear from him more directly. This occurred and we praise You God for helping us see this special revelation of You. Lord, I want to trust in You and trust in this revelation all of my days.

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.