book of hebrews

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The Book of Hebrews

General introduction

The Epistle to the Hebrews was not accepted by the Western church for a long time and the

reason for that was Christians in Western Europe believed the Church had replaced Israel as the

people of God.

And as such they rejected a book that was addressed to ‘Hebrews’ as being irrelevant to the

Church.

They high-jacked all the promises God had made to Israel and spiritualized them, applying them

to themselves and rejecting God’s purposes for the nation of Israel in the future.

As a result, you’ll find that the church in those early days became anti-Semitic and even

persecuted the Jews!

However, to most evangelicals, it is clear from Scripture that God isn’t done with Israel and has

never replaced her with the Church.

Eventually the book of Hebrews was accepted and included in the N.T. cannon of Scripture—

and today is considered by many to be one of the greatest books in the N.T.—right up there with

the Book of Romans.

Unfortunately many Christians don’t read Hebrews because:

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1) It’s too Old Testament for them

Many Christians don’t read the O.T. because they don’t see the point.

They think it was written only for Jews living in the O.T. period whereas the N.T. was written

for Christians living today—and besides it bores them.

2) They are too scared by some of the warnings

Hebrews 10:36-39 (NKJV) 36

For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive

the promise: 37

"For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. 38

Now

the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him." 39

But we

are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.

Authorship

Just who wrote the Book of Hebrews remains a mystery.

Very early on it was believed that Paul wrote the book—but today many scholars point out that

the Greek construction used in the book is unlike the style of Greek that Paul used in his epistles,

along with the fact that it is much more sophisticated and polished than the kind of Greek we

find in his epistles and therefore they claim Paul didn’t write the book.

The early commentator Tertullian (who wrote in the early 200s) said Barnabas wrote Hebrews,

but no support is offered other than that Barnabas was a Levite (Acts 4:36) and a man of

encouragement (Acts 4:36).

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Martin Luther believed that Apollos wrote the book of Hebrews, because in the book of Acts it is

said of Apollos that he was eloquent and had a strong command of the Old Testament (Acts

18:24).

Others believe that Priscilla (wife of Aquilla) wrote Hebrews but didn’t sign it so as to hide its

controversial female authorship.

The truth is we don’t know who wrote it nor does it really matter because the Holy Spirit was the

real Author.

For whatever its worth, I believe Paul wrote Hebrews—why do I believe that?

The writer had been in prison (Heb. 10:34). He wrote from Italy (Heb. 13:24). And his

companion was Timothy (Heb. 13:23).

Also some have seen in Peter’s remarks in 2 Peter 3:15-16 a reference to Paul writing the book

of Hebrews.

If you study Peter’s two epistles you will discover that he wrote them to Hebrew Christians also.

And in 2 Peter 3:15 he says—“And consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as

also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you”.

Here it sounds like Peter is saying that Paul had written an epistle to the same group of Hebrew

believers that Peter was writing to—Book of Hebrews?

Further Peter goes on to say—

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2 Peter 3:16 (NKJV) 16

as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to

understand…

When you hear Peter say that Paul wrote some things that were hard to understand—it has to

bring to mind Hebrews chapters 6 & 10. (Comment)

Another clue that Paul wrote this epistle comes from something he said in 2 Thessalonians

3:17—

2 Thessalonians 3:17 (NKJV) 17

The salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is a sign in every epistle; so I write.

Paul wrote this epistle to the church in Thessalonica in response to a letter that was circulating

the church (explain) where the writer had signed Paul’s name to it.

Paul seems to be saying that, not only didn’t he write the letter but, he says, “you can always tell

one of my letters—it is a sign of my authorship—I always end them in the same way”—

2 Thessalonians 3:18 (NKJV) 18

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Paul always ends his epistles by praying grace upon those he is writing to.

Romans 16:24 (NKJV) 24

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

1 Corinthians 16:23-24 (NKJV) 23

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 24

My love be with you all in Christ Jesus.

Amen.

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2 Corinthians 13:14 (NKJV) 14

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit

be with you all. Amen.

Galatians 6:18 (NKJV) 18

Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Ephesians 6:24 (NKJV) 24

Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

And we could go on—this applies to all of Paul’s epistles—he always ends them with a

pronouncement of God’s grace—none of the other epistle writers do this.

How does the Book of Hebrews end?—“Grace be with you all. Amen” (13:25)

This is uniquely a Pauline benediction.

I further believe Paul wrote this book because it seems to be part of a three volume set which

includes: Romans, Galatians and Hebrews that was written as a commentary on the verse that

appears in Habakkuk 2:4, “The just shall live by faith”.

“The just” (Romans—how is a person justified—not by the works of the law but by grace)

“Shall live” (Galatians—having begun in the Spirit we shall not be made mature by the works of

the flesh)

“By faith” (Hebrews—we live by faith, looking unto to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our

faith)

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That verse from Habakkuk is quoted in all three epistles—and since we know Paul wrote

Romans and Galatians—I believe he wrote Hebrews also.

And what about the Greek in the Book of Hebrews being so different from Paul’s other

writings?—

Paul was certainly brilliant enough to alter his style when writing to a different audience (Paul’s

only epistle written to a Jewish church).

However another possibility comes from Clement of Alexandria, who said that Paul wrote it in

Hebrew and Luke translated into Greek (Eusebius, History 6.14.2).

Alright, if Paul did write this epistle why didn’t he sign it—why did he leave it anonymous?

That’s not too hard to understand—but first of all remember what the Lord Jesus said about

Paul’s ministry—

Acts 9:15 (NKJV) 15

But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before

Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.

And Paul had a real heart to bring the gospel to his Jewish countrymen—the only problem was

everytime he tried to talk with them face to face—they rioted and wouldn’t let him finish what

he wanted to tell them about Jesus (Acts 21 and 22).

So I believe he wrote them a letter and didn’t sign his name so he could address them and they

would listen.

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But the major theme of this book is to encourage Jewish believers not to forsake Christianity and

the New Covenant to go back to the Law and the old Levitical system under Moses.

We see a glimpse of this in Acts 21—

Acts 21:18-23 (NKJV) 18

On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19

When

he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles

through his ministry. 20

And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him,

"You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all

zealous for the law; 21

but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are

among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor

to walk according to the customs. 22

What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will

hear that you have come. 23

Therefore do what we tell you…

We can see from this that the church in Jerusalem—which was made up almost exclusively of

Jewish believers—seems to have drifted back into the old ways, the Jewish religious traditions

and even the keeping of the law.

This, I believe, grieved Paul’s heart that these Jewish Christians were “zealous for the law” but

he couldn’t really speak to them about it because he wasn’t on good terms with many of them

since they had come to believe that he was anti-Moses.

And so I believe he did the next best thing which was to write them a letter and keep it

anonymous so that they wouldn’t be closed minded as soon as they knew it had come from Paul.

Again, the main theme of the book is to warn these Jewish Christians not to drift back into the

shadows of the old Levitical system and forsake the reality that was in Christ.

Now you have to understand that much of that had to do with the persecution these Jewish

Christians were facing at the hands of their countrymen—just like Paul had experienced.

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They had been put out of the synagogues, ostracized by their friends and families, persecuted for

their faith including the confiscation of their possessions and forbidden from entering the Temple

precincts where much of the Jewish culture was centered around.

All of this, no doubt, began to grind them down and many started to have second thoughts about

going forward in the Christian faith.

No doubt some of them began to see Christianity as a “Johnny comes lately” religion with no

history and no majesty.

William MacDonald—

Of course, there was always the escape route. If he would renounce Christ and return to

Judaism, he would be spared from further persecution. As we read between the lines of this

Letter, we can detect some of the strong arguments used to persuade him to return to Judaism:

• The rich heritage of the prophets.

• The prominent ministry of angels in the history of God’s ancient people.

• Association with the illustrious lawgiver Moses.

• National ties with the brilliant military commander Joshua.

• The glory of the Aaronic priesthood.

• The sacred sanctuary where God chose to dwell among His people.

• The covenant of the law given by God through Moses.

• The divinely appointed furniture in the sanctuary, and the magnificent veil.

• The services in the sanctuary, and especially the ritual on the great Day of Atonement (Yom

Kippur, the most important day in the Jewish calendar).

But what the author of this epistle wanted them to see was that the O.T. religious system was

only “a shadow of things to come but the substance was of Christ”—that Jesus is the fulfillment

of all the O.T. practices—

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Psalm 40:7 (NKJV) 7

Then I said, "Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me.

In the book he gives five warnings of the dangers of going back to a system that was no longer

legitimate in the eyes of God even though it was still being practiced—at least for a couple of

more years.

Many believe the letter was written around 68 AD—a couple of years before the destruction of

the Temple—

You might say in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed the Temple God put an exclamation point

on the phrase that Jesus uttered from the cross—“It is finished!”

A controversial book

The Book of Hebrews is confusing to many—and confusion always leads to controversy.

Most of the confusion comes from the fact that people misidentify who the author is speaking to

in the epistle.

The author actually has three different groups in mind when writing this epistle, and periodically

“turns to” one of these groups in particular to address his comments to.

The problem is that most readers fail to properly identify what group he is now speaking to—and

the result is they become confused and end up with wrong interpretations and faulty conclusions.

The three groups the author is writing to are as follows:

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1. Hebrew Christians

The author writes to these to encourage them to stay strong in the Lord and go forward in their

Christian faith.

2. Hebrew non-Christians who intellectually believed in the facts of the gospel but had not

made a commitment to Jesus.

The author directs some of his comments toward them exhorting them not to stop short but to go

all the way into salvation by making a genuine commitment to Jesus Christ.

Listen to what he tells this group:


Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. 2

For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and

disobedience received a just reward, 3

how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation…

In chapter six he addresses this group again—


For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and

have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5

and have tasted the good word of God and the powers

of the age to come, 6

if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify

again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

He goes on with this thought in chapter 10:

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Hebrews 10:26 (NKJV) 26

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer

remains a sacrifice for sins,

For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a

sacrifice for sins.


but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the

adversaries.

If a man has heard the gospel, understands it, and is intellectually convinced of its truth, but then

willfully rejects Christ, what more can God do? Nothing! All God can now promise this man is

judgment (v. 27).

The warning continues:


Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled

the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a

common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

When you know the truth of the gospel and reject it, the consequences are terrible and eternal.

3. Hebrews who didn’t believe the gospel nor professed to be Christians

The final group the writer addresses in this epistle are those Jews who have not yet come to

believe in the reality of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Savior of the world and the long

awaited Messiah of Israel.

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And in different places we will see him trying to convince them Who Jesus is and giving them an

opportunity to come to Him for salvation.

Now if you don’t understand what group at any given time in this epistle that the writer is

addressing you’re going to misunderstand and misinterpret what he’s saying and that will lead to

faulty doctrinal conclusions.

The primary group the writer is addressing is Jewish Christians—encouraging them to press on

to maturity—although at different points in the epistle he does address the other two groups of

unbelievers.

Chapter 1


God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2

has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things,

through 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 at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Actually, the first three verses sum up the entire book—the supremacy or superiority of Jesus

Christ over everyone and everything!

I. The Superiority of Christ’s Person—ch.1-6

II. The Superiority of Christ’s Priesthood—ch.7-10

III. The Superiority of Christ’s Principle—ch.11-13

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A. Christ Superior to the Prophets (1:1–3)


God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,

The very first verse in the Bible says—“In the beginning God created the heavens and the

earth.” Verse three says, “Then God said…”

In the first few verses of the Bible we learn that there is a God, that He is a powerful, intelligent

Being who created everything—and that He speaks; and later we learn He desires to

communicate with us.

Theologians tell us that God speaks to us in two ways— the creation is called “general

revelation” and the Scriptures are called “special revelation.”

Now this is important to us because Christianity claims to be a revealed truth. A revelation is

something that is made known to us by God.

It is something that would be impossible for us to know through our own logic or intelligence or

normal thought processes—it is knowledge that comes through divine input.

The Bible says that God is Spirit who lives in the spirit realm—spirits can interact with those in

the physical realm—but:

Man, on the other hand, is physical and is trapped in the physical realm.

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And because man is physical and God is Spirit there is no way a physical human being trapped in

a box, we call the 4 dimensional physical universe, can, through the use of techniques like:

visualization, Transcendental Meditation…can poke a hole in the box, climb out and find God.

No matter how sincere a person is and how hard they try they are incapable of reaching beyond

the boundaries of the physical, natural realm he finds himself trapped in and therefore is

incapable of knowing or understanding anything about the supernatural God.

Job asked the question—“Can a man by searching find God?” The answer of course is no!

As Pastor John MacArthur has said,

“We can’t expect the bug in the bottle to understand the little boy that put it there anymore

than we can expect the natural man with his natural capacities to understand the supernatural

God—unless that God chose to condescend and reveal Himself to man.”

And of course God did this by giving to us ‘special revelation’ which essentially is God invading

the “box” to communicate to us something about Himself or His will of our lives.

Some of the ways God has revealed divine truth to us in the past include; prophets, angels,

dreams, and visions—

But by far the greatest revelation was the incarnation—and that’s exactly what Hebrews 1:1-2 is

saying—



has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…

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For centuries God revealed Himself to man in ‘bits and pieces’—what the theologians call the

‘progressive revelation of God’.

Notice how the writer put it—“God, who at various times and in various ways…”

The writer uses a play on words in the original language: “God, polumerōs and polutropōs. …”

These two Greek words are interesting. They mean, respectively, “in many portions” (as of

books) and “in many different manners.”

There are many books in the Old Testament—thirty-nine of them.

In all those many portions (polumerōs) God spoke to man in many ways (polutropōs)—angels,

visions, dreams, types—but primarily He spoke to the Jewish people through the prophets.

The Jewish people were very proud of the fact that God chose them to be the keepers of His holy

Word as He spoke to them through Jewish prophets.

This is something the writer acknowledges—


God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,

[but then adds] 2

has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…

And the point he is making is that God did speak through the Jewish prophets to the fathers

(patriarchs and leaders of Israel) but the revelation He gave them of Himself was, although true,

it was still incomplete.

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However the greatest and most complete revelation that God ever gave to mankind of Himself

was through the incarnation—where the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us (John

1:14).

Jesus Christ became the full disclosure of God to man—and therefore He was superior to the

Jewish prophets as a source of revelation (v.1-3).

John 1:18 (NKJV) 18

No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father,

He has declared Him.

John 14:9 (NKJV) 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He

who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

It’s interesting that the “last days” started with Jesus’ First Coming and will culminate with His

Second Coming.

The Jews understood that phrase to mean, “The last days of this present evil age of man’s

rebellion in preparation for the Messiah coming to establish the Kingdom Age upon the earth”.

But the author doesn’t stop there—he goes on:




through whom also He made the worlds;

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Start Here—2/27/13 Hebrews 1

The theme of the Book of Hebrews is to encourage Jewish believers living in and around

Jerusalem not to go back to Judaism and the sacrificial system under Moses but to embrace the

New Covenant and press forward toward maturity in Christ.

And in the process of encouraging these Jewish Christians to leave the shadow behind and

embrace the substance that is Jesus Christ—in the process of doing that the writer systematically

proves the superiority of Christ over everyone and everything the Jews held sacred under the

Mosaic covenant—but also His superiority over all creation as well!


II. The Superiority of Christ’s Priesthood—ch.7-10

III. The Superiority of Christ’s Principle—ch.11-13


In this section the author is going to prove that Jesus Christ is superior to the: prophets, angels,

Moses, Joshua, and the Aaronic Priesthood.

A. Christ Superior to the Prophets (1:1–3)




through whom also He made the worlds;

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“Whom He has appointed heir of all things” (v.2)

This means that the Father has given all things to the Son and He will shortly reign over all

creation—

Matthew 11:27 (NKJV) 27

All things have been delivered to Me by My Father…

“Through whom also He made the worlds ” (v.2)

The common Greek word for world is kosmos, but that is not the word used in Hebrews 1:2.

The word here is aiōnas, which is a broader term—Jesus Christ is responsible not only for the

physical earth; He is also responsible for creating time, space, energy, and matter.

Jesus Christ created the whole universe and everything in it—

John 1:3 (NKJV) 3

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

Col. 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible,

whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him

(source, creative force) and for Him (ruler over all creation).

Hebrews 1:3 (NKJV) 3 who being the brightness of His glory…

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“Brightness of His glory” refers to the Shekinah glory of God that dwelt in the tabernacle and

temple.

Jesus’ full glory was veiled with humanity while on the earth—but we got a preview of His

Second Coming glory on the Mt. of Transfiguration—

Matthew 17:2 (NKJV) 2

and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as

white as the light.

One author:

“He is the outshining of God’s glory, that is, all the perfections that are found in God the Father

are found in Him also”.

Another said:

“Christ is to the Father what the rays of the sun are to the sun. He is the radiance of God’s

glory. As it is impossible to separate the rays from the sun, it is also impossible to separate

Christ’s glory from the nature of God”.


who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person…

First of all the writer is telling us that Jesus is the exact manifestation of God in human form.

Colossians 2:9 (NKJV) 9

For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;

“Express image” (Heb. 1:3) carries the idea of “the exact imprint.”

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The word was used of an image made by impression as when Caesar’s image was stamped on a

coin.

God the Father “stamped” His image on human flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ.

This allowed man to see what God is like—God is Spirit and is therefore invisible but through

the incarnation the invisible God became a visible flesh and blood man.

John 1:18 (NKJV) 18

No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father,

He has declared [manifested] Him.

John 14:9 (NKJV) 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He

who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

And so as Paul declared here in Col.1:15—Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” or in other

words, He is the perfect manifestation of the Father in human form.


who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all

things by the word of His power…

The Greek word for upholds means “to support, to maintain,” and it is used here in the present

tense, implying continuous action—everything in the universe is sustained right now by Jesus

Christ.

Colossians 1:16-17 (NKJV) 16

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth…17

... and in Him

all things consist.

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The word “consist” literally means “are held together.”

Now when Paul said that Jesus created all things that would of course include atoms which make

up all created things in the physical universe.

And we know that atoms are made up of a nucleus that contains protons (positively charged

particles) and neutrons (neutrally charged particles) and orbiting the nucleus of the atom is one

or more electrons (negatively charged particles).

Now Coulomb’s Law of Electricity says that like charges repel. You can prove Coulomb’s Law

by pushing the positive ends of two magnets toward each other and feeling them repel each

other. Opposite charges attract; like charges repel.

But here’s a great mystery: In the nucleus of the atom, protons are packed together that are all

positive-charged particles.

What keeps these positive-charged protons from pushing away from each other like the positive

ends of a magnet push each other away?

What holds the protons together inside the nucleus of the atom? Science doesn’t know.

Some have postulated what they have called “atomic glue” as what holds the atom together but

they really don’t know.

But as believers we know that the Bible says it is Jesus who created all things and holds them

together—Hebrews 1:3 says that He holds it all together “by the word of His power.”

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The same word of His power that brought the universe into existence holds it together.

However the Bible says that someday He will let go and no longer hold it together—

2 Peter 3:10 (NKJV) 10

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away

with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that

are in it will be burned up.

When Peter says the “elements will melt” he uses the Greek word ‘luo’ which means “to be

loosed”—Jesus will stop holding the universe together.

When that happens the positively charged protons will respond according to their nature and

begin to repel one another—the result will be atoms will split and an atomic explosion the size of

the universe will take place.

There will suddenly be a “great noise” and the physical universe will instantly disappear as

everything will dissolve in zillion-degree “fervent heat” and cease to exist.

2 Peter 3:11-13 (NKJV) 11

Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in

holy conduct and godliness, 12

looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because

of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent

heat? 13

Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in

which righteousness dwells.


…and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our

sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

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In the Tabernacle and later the Temple there were different pieces of furniture—Menorah, Table

of Showbread, Golden Altar—but there was no chair.

And the reason there was no chair was because the priest’s work was never finished.

The blood of animals could not take away sin, it could only temporally cover sin until the next

sin was committed.

Consequently the priests never sat because their work was never done—that is until Jesus offered

Himself for our sins.

He was the Lamb of God whose blood took away our sins—once and for all time which meant—

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

high” (v.3)—“It is finished!”

The writer will talk about this more when we come to the next major section of the book—The

Superiority of Christ’s Priesthood—ch.7-10

Now starting in verse four, the writer begins to talk about Jesus’ superiority over angels.

B. Christ Superior to the Angels (1:4—2:18)


having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more

excellent name than they.

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The Jews took angelic mediation very seriously—it was part of their heritage, it was a part of

their boasting—that God’s heavenly armies (angels) were a part of their national life—they

spoke to their fathers and they fought for nation in battle.

Angels are very powerful beings and they play a prominent role in the history of Israel—but also

in the lives of God’s people in the New Covenant.

There are 108 references to angels in the O.T.—but there are 165 references to angels in the N.T.

Angels were created before God created the earth (Job 38:4-7) and they number in the billions,

some think in the trillions (Rev.5:11).

We only know three by name—Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer.

All of the angels fall into two basic groups—faithful (2/3) and fallen (1/3).

The faithful are led by Michael the Archangel (arch = ‘ruling angel’); and the fallen are led by

Lucifer.

These groups are called “angelic armies” and they are organized according to ranks just like

earthly armies—

Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV) 12

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,

against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the

heavenly places.

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Colossians 1:16 (NKJV) 16

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and

invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created

through Him and for Him.

As I said they’re very powerful beings—in 2Kings 19 we read how that one angel of the Lord

wiped out 185,000 Assyrians one night;

And in the Book of Revelation four very fierce fallen angels are released from the bottomless pit

and in one hour kill a billion people on the earth.

To the Jewish people angels were an integral part of their history.

In Acts 7:53 Stephen tells us that the Law was given to Israel from God through the ministry of

angels—

How we’re not sure but they were so much a part of Israel’s history and so revered by the Jewish

people that some Jews even began to worship angels (John twice in the book of Rev. tried to

worship an angel).

So if the author is going to encourage these Jewish believers not to go back to the Old Covenant

which angels played such a big part in; he needs to show how that Jesus is greater than the

angels.

Now in v.4-14 we are given seven O.T. passages and five points that all prove one thing—that

Jesus is greater than the angels.

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1. Jesus is greater than the angels because He has a greater name (title)—v.4-5


having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more

excellent name than they. 5

For to which of the angels did He ever say: "You are My Son,

Today I have begotten You"? And again: "I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a

Son"?

Now in our culture we don’t put much stock in a person’s name—but in the Jewish culture they

did.

And the writer wants to show how the name of Jesus, the Son of God is far superior to any

angel—

Philippians 2:9-11 (NKJV) 9

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every

name, 10

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on

earth, and of those under the earth, 11

and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is

Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

“For to which of the angels did He ever say: "You are My Son, Today I have begotten You"?

(v.5)

This first quote from the O.T. comes from Ps.2:7

Angels are called “sons of God” in the book of Job—but only in the sense that they were the

direct creation of God.

As the people of God in the New Covenant we are called ‘sons of God’—but through adoption.

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Jesus is the only one in Scripture that has the title “the only begotten Son of God”.

Jesus received that title (name) at the incarnation—where the seed of God was placed into the

womb of Mary and she conceived and eventually brought forth the only One ever begotten by

the Father.

Jesus is never called “the Son” until His incarnation—before that He simply bears the title of

“eternal God” or “the Word”.

His Sonship came to full bloom in His resurrection. He is the Son not only because He was

virgin-born into humanity, but also because He was begotten again from the dead.

Acts 13:33 (NKJV) 33

God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written

in the second Psalm: 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.'

John MacArthur—

“Just as you and I become sons of God in the fullest sense not by being born once but by being

born twice, so Jesus Christ became Son in the fullest sense by being born not once but twice.

This deep truth Paul makes clear in the book of Romans:

“Concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was

declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the spirit of

holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord”. (Rom. 1:3–4)

He became a Son at birth; He was declared to be a Son in resurrection. The fullness of His

sonship comes in His twice birth”.

The second quote (Heb.1:5) comes from 2Samuel 7:14: “I will be to Him a Father, and He

shall be to Me a Son.” (Read 2 Samuel 7:12-16)

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The immediate application in David’s experience was to his son, Solomon, whom God would

love and discipline as a son (see Ps. 89:27)—but the ultimate application is to Jesus Christ, the

“greater than Solomon” (Matt. 12:42).

Here again the argument is that God never spoke of an angel in this way.


2. Jesus is greater than the angels because they worship Him—v.6


But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: "Let all the angels of God

worship Him."

“But when He again brings the firstborn into the world”

This is a reference to the Second Coming.

“Firstborn”—the term “firstborn” in the Bible does not always mean “born first.”

God made Solomon the firstborn (Ps. 89:27) even though Solomon is listed tenth in the official

genealogy (1 Chron. 3:1–5).

The same was true with Esau, who was born before Jacob but God called Jacob the firstborn.

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“Firstborn” is the Greek word prototokos and it isn’t a time word it’s a title of supremacy and

superiority.

Jesus Christ is called the “firstborn over all creation” in Colossians 1:15—not because He was

the first created person (JW’s) but because of all who have ever been born He is superior to them

all because He is God who created all things.

“Let all the angels of God worship Him” is a quote from Psalm 97:7.

When Jesus comes back and sits on His throne having conquered principalities and powers and

having purchased this world back to God—all the angels will worship Him.

Revelation 5:11-12 (NKJV) 11

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures,

and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of

thousands, 12

saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and

riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!"

“If angels are to worship Him, He must therefore be greater than they. And if He is greater

than they, His covenant is greater than the one they brought—the New Covenant is greater than

the Old, and Christianity is greater than Judaism”.



3. Jesus is greater than the angels because they serve but He reigns as God—v.7-8


And of the angels He says: "Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire."

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"Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire."—that quote comes from Ps.

104:4

The Greek for makes is poieō (“to create” or “to make”). Since Jesus created the angels (Col.

1:16), He is obviously superior to them.

Not only were they created by Him, but they are His servants, His ministers, His winds and

flame of fire.

The Hebrew and Greek words for “spirit” are also translated “wind.”

Angels are created spirits; they have no bodies, though they can assume human forms when

ministering on earth.

Angels sometimes served our Lord when He was on earth (Matt. 4:11; Luke 22:43), and they

serve Him and us now. (v.14)


But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness

is the scepter of Your Kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;

Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your

companions."

"Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your

Kingdom” is a quote from Ps.45:6

Angels minister before the throne; they do not sit on the throne.

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“Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your

companions."

This means that the Father has given the Son the place of supremacy above all other beings—as

King!

In the O.T. when God anointed someone to be king, He would have someone pour oil on their

head symbolizing that the Holy Spirit was now upon them for that calling.

When the writer says that God anointed Jesus with the oil of gladness (great joy) more than your

companions—

It may be a reference that of all the other kings (companions) that have ever ruled Jesus is the

King of kings who will reign over a kingdom of absolute righteousness and great joy—“In Your

presence there is fullness of joy”(Ps.16:11).

Notice how the Father calls the Son ‘God’ (v.8), and then says that Jesus calls the Father

‘God’ (v.9).

This, of course, speaks of the equality of the Father and Son (and Spirit) as God.

4. Jesus is greater than the angels because of His superior existence—v.10-12


And: "You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are

the work of Your hands. 11

They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a

garment; 12

Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the

same, And Your years will not fail."

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This is a long quote from Ps.102:25-27 and is used by the author to show how Jesus is greater

than the angels—in that they were created (by Him) which means they had a beginning—

But He is the Creator who had no beginning and will have no end—even the universe is growing

old and wearing out but Jesus is eternal!

Jesus will outlive this present creation (which He will destroy) and will create a new heavens and

a new earth and a new city called the New Jerusalem for all the redeemed to live in for all

eternity with Him.



3. Jesus is greater than the angels because they serve but He reigns as God—v.7-8

4. Jesus is greater than the angels because of His superior existence—v.10-12

5. Jesus is greater than the angels because of His superior destiny—v.13-14


But to which of the angels has He ever said: "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your

enemies Your footstool"?

A further quotation (Ps. 110:1) proves the Son’s superiority.

In that psalm God invites the Messiah, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your

footstool.”

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The question is asked, “To what angel did God ever say anything like that?” The answer is, of

course, to none.

To be seated at the right hand of God signifies a position of highest honor and limitless power.

To have all one’s enemies as a footstool signifies universal subjugation and universal dominion.


Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit

salvation?

In other words—angels serve—Jesus rules!

Angels are very active in the affairs of mankind.

They delivered Lot out of Sodom before the judgment of God fell (Genesis 19).

An angel was sent by God to shut the mouth of the lions so as to save Daniel.

An angel took Elijah to heaven in a fiery chariot.

An army of angels surrounded the Syrian army that had surrounded Dothan to protect Elisha.

One delivered Peter from prison (Acts 12)

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They have been used by God to deliver many important messages to His people (Dan.9; Luke 1)

They have fought battles for God’s people—in both the Old and New Testament periods.

They protect the people of God (guardian angels)—

Author Ray Stedman—

“Missionary John G. Paton tells of an experience that occurred soon after he and his

wife began missionary work in the rain forests of the New Hebrides islands. One night, hostile

tribesmen surrounded the mission headquarters where he and his wife lived. The torch-bearing

tribesmen were determined to burn the building down, killing Paton and his wife. Alone in a

strange land, far from anyone who could help them, the Patons spent the entire night on their

knees in prayer, expecting their house to go up in flames around them at any moment.

The hours passed without an attack. Finally morning came and John Paton got up from

his knees and peeked out the window. He was astonished to see that the hostile tribesmen had

left. Instantly, John and his wife dropped again to their knees — this time to thank God for their

deliverance.

The Patons continued their work among the tribespeople and saw many of them come to

know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. After about a year of evangelistic effort, even the chief of

the tribe became a follower of Christ. Remembering the night of terror when he and his wife

thought they were about to be burned alive in the mission station, Paton asked the chief what had

prevented him and his men from torching the house.

"We were afraid of the men that protected you," replied the chief. "What men?" asked

Paton. "There were no men protecting us. My wife and I were in the house alone." "No," the

chief insisted, "there were many men around the house — men with shining clothes and swords

in their hands. They stood around the building and would not let us harm you."

Then John Paton knew why he and his wife were spared. Their prayers had been

answered that night. God had sent His angels to protect the Patons from attack. That is the

power that all Christians, including you and me, have access to whenever we go to our knees in

prayer.”

Be careful to be hospitable to strangers because you never know if you’re entertaining

angels without knowing it!

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