“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” 2 Peter 1:20 – 2:1
Verses 1-2 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;
The Greek word translated as “sundry times” is “polumeros” and it means by many times and in many ways. The entire Old Testament books are records of God speaking to mankind. He spoke directly to people like Abraham and Moses and he spoke to nations as well as to individuals through the prophets that He raised up over the centuries. Finally He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to speak one last time to mankind, and like the prophets of old, the people killed Him as they did not want to hear what God had to say. Jesus Christ is heir to all things because He not only created all things, but He shed His blood to redeem mankind and therefore has all things as His possession by right of sonship.
Application: Jesus told a parable that explained God’s actions in speaking to a sinful and rebellious mankind. “And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. 2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. 4 And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. 5 And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. 6 Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. 7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. 8 And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. 9 What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.” Mark 12:1-9 The vineyard is the land and everything in it that God gave the Hebrew people along with their position in His spiritual Kingdom. The husbandmen are the Jews. The servants are the prophets. And the son is Jesus Christ. The vineyard was taken away from the unbelieving Jews, their nation being destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Roman general, Titus, and it was given to the believing Gentiles and to those Jews who believed, and the Church international was born and continues to this day.
Verse 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;
God is a Spirit and therefore cannot be seen by mankind. But Jesus Christ was/is both man and God and therefore could be seen by mankind. Here the Apostle Paul tells the Hebrew Christians that Jesus is the exact representation of the majesty of God Almighty in the flesh because He is God and is the One who is keeping all things together in this world. He purged mankind’s sins and then went up into Heaven to reunite with the Father and He has all power.
Application: Why is Jesus Christ described as sitting down on the right hand of the Majesty on high? Because when someone is sitting down, they are through with their work. The Apostle John wrote, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” John 19:30 He had accomplished or finished the work that He had been sent to Earth to do. He had shed His blood and purchased salvation for all who will come to Him. He provided the remittance for sin. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 He had established His spiritual Kingdom and the New Covenant and He ended the Old Covenant. He defeated Satan and all the powers of darkness. He rose from the dead bodily and ascended into Heaven and sat down, the right hand being metaphor for power and authority. And He gave His Spirit or Ghost to His disciples so that they would have His power and authority while serving Him on Earth. “Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.” Luke 9:1 And every truly converted Christian today can have that same power and authority through the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
Verses 4-5 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5 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?
There are three types of beings in this world. One is God who has always been and always will be. Another is the angels who are created beings that serve as messengers for their creator, God Almighty, a third of them serving Satan, another created angel who was cast out of Heaven and who is the enemy of both God and mankind.. And the last is mankind who inhabit flesh and who are marred by sin. When the flesh of Jesus was made and God inhabited that flesh, the man Christ Jesus was without sin and therefore was better than the angels who were to serve Him. The man, Jesus, was/is the only begotten son of God Almighty. All Christian believers who have been adopted into the Kingdom of God are also sons of God with a lower case ‘s’. Only Jesus is the Son of God, capital ‘S’. The angels are not called sons of God and never have been as they are created beings for the purpose of serving God in the spiritual realm. Angels have and can manifest to mankind when taking messages from God to various individuals or when sent to assist someone. According to Scripture, angels are assigned to children as well.
Application: Satan has pushed the scenario of ‘beings from outer space’ or from other ‘planets’ and many people have reported being taken captive by little ‘aliens’ and taken to space ships and so forth. Books have been written about it. UFO’s have been sited and recorded. The Star Trek series are shown over and over again on television to brainwash, confuse, and condition those people viewing them to believe that the existence of ‘aliens’ is not only a possibility, but a fact. And technologies such as CGI (computer generated images) and holograms make it easy for evil people to visually create ‘space beings’ and fool people into believing they are real. The Bible is true and all else is a lie. God created as recorded in the Book of Genesis and nowhere on any of the six days of Creation did God create planets, outer space, or aliens. So get over it!!!! They do not exist. All ‘planets’ are nothing more than part of the system of stars that God created. And all UFO’s are either government military assets or manifestations by fallen angels. There is no other “life” out there. Plain and simple. Either you believe the Bible, or you don’t.
Verses 6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
Jesus Christ is superior to angels as He receives worship from them. They ministered to Him when He was in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. “And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.” Mark 1:13 The angels were at His bidding if He so desired the whole time He was inhabiting the body of flesh called Jesus. “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” Matthew 26:53
Verse 7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
As stated previously, angels are not sons of God. They are made or created spirits who are God’s ministers or servants and who have power to do His bidding. They cannot be seen by mankind unless they reveal themselves to specific individuals, but they are like flames of fire, bright and able to consume that which God wants consumed. It was the angels who announced the birth of Jesus Christ. “And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone around about them: and they were sore afraid.” Luke 2:9 These angels lit up the sky and the shepherds were amazed.
Verses 8 -9 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
The Apostle Paul reinforces the fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God when he states “Thy throne, O God, is for ever. . . .” A sceptre is an instrument like a staff, usually ornate, showing power and authority. All royals in the earthly realm have sceptres which are on display at ceremonial occasions symbolizing sovereignty. In the past, they were often used by the royals (kings) to signify acceptance of someone or something or rejection of someone or something. Jesus Christ’s sceptre is not just a rod or ornate instrument showing power, but is representative of His righteousness and of the righteousness of His spiritual Kingdom. The man, Christ Jesus, has been anointed as Lord and Saviour, as Prophet, as King, and as High Priest. For the Christian, He is their all in all.
Verses 10-12 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: 11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
The Apostle Paul is still reporting what God has said about His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. He created everything. “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:3 The Greek word translated as “perish” is “apollumi” and it means to destroy, to put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end to, and ruin. So the Earth and all that pertains to it shall be destroyed and come to an end. “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2Peter 3:7 and 10 In the meantime, the Earth is waxing old and slowly passing away. Jesus Christ will end this world as we know it and bring forth the new Heavens and the new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Verses 13-14 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1)
The answer to the Apostle Paul’s question is obviously that no angel has ever been told by God to sit at His right hand of power. That honor is for Jesus Christ only. No angel suffered and died for the benefit of mankind. No angel created the Heavens and the Earth. No angel has the power of God Almighty. As wonderful as angels are, they are created beings just as we are created and therefore cannot be God. But we, as mankind, need to acknowledge their existence and thank the LORD for all that they do for us.
Application: Here again the Apostle Paul gives insight as to the function of the angels who remained faithful to the LORD. They are sent to minister to you and to me. When reaching Heaven we will know how many times our angels saved us from death, injury or disaster. They are present and unseen most of the time, although some believers have had visual encounters. This writer’s mother when elderly and suffering from an illness that affected her gait and balance was attempting to tidy up her front garden adjacent to the highway which was a heavily trafficked road. She was up a ladder and in danger of falling. She reported that out of nowhere a black man appeared and asked if he could help. He stabilized the ladder so she could safely get down, he finished the pruning she was trying to do, and he folded up the ladder for her. He then kindly told her she needed to go inside the yard and get away from the highway. She turned away just for a second to pick up a garden tool and when she turned back, he was gone. The two lane highway was full of cars and trucks and there was no place that the man could have gone without her seeing him or without him being hit by a car. He was there one minute and gone the next. She felt certain that he was an angel sent to help her at a time when she could have been injured by a fall or killed by traffic. Why was he black? Because my mother spent many happy years living in Africa and had a deep respect for people of African descent and always felt comfortable in their presence. She would have been frightened by any other man showing up as she was partially disabled and defenseless. God knew she would like the angel guarding her appearing as a gentleman from her past. The LORD always knows how to care for us. My mother was a faithful Christian believer and therefore an heir of salvation.