IN THESE LAST DAYS

Hebrews 1:1-4 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 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; 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; being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Without examining every detail of this epistle, such as its author, to whom written, when and where written, etc., it is sufficient to say, at the beginning of this study, that the majority of opinions which I hold, is that this epistle was written by Paul to the Christian Jews that were living in foreign, or Gentile countries. It was not written to a specific congregation of God's people, but was probably delivered to a number of churches, much like Paul's epistle written to the churches of Galatia. It was intended to encourage, strengthen, keep Jewish Christians steadfast, and from temptations to fall away from serving God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Instead of usual introductory greetings, this epistle opens directly with spiritual exhortations. The writer immediately told these Jewish Christians, and by inference, tells us today, of the revelations that God made known to mankind in many different times, and in many different manners. God communicated directly with the patriarchs of the past such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. He spoke to the children of Israel through His chosen prophets, priests, judges, and kings, which was part of the great plan of redemption, designed from the foundation of the world, and made available to all mankind through His Son, Jesus Christ.

With the coming of Christ, His life on earth, His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension back into heaven, and with His kingdom being established on earth and in heaven, the end came to all other dispensations authorized by God. The Patriarchal and the Jewish Dispensations ceased when the Christian Dispensation was ushered in on the Day of Pentecost with the establishment of the church of Christ. This was the first day of the period the writer refers to as these last days. The Christian era is the final dispensation in God's plan of salvation. These are the last days spoken of by the prophet, Isaiah (Isa. 2:2). These are the last days spoken of by Peter and the other apostles in their discourse on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:17). These last days do not signify an immediate end of the world, but tells us that there will be no future dispensations under which mankind will live.

Each dispensation had its own unique method, by which God spoke to His people giving them the necessary commandments under which they were to live, and be acceptable in His sight. And now, in this final Christian Dispensation - in these last days - He has spoken unto us by His Son, whom He sent to earth as the promised Messiah, the Savior of the world. Communication to all people of the world, in this final dispensation, by God's command, is to be through His Son, Jesus Christ, either directly as He spoke during His ministry on earth, or by His authority through His chosen apostles and disciples as inspired by the Holy Spirit.

In answer to the apostle Philip's request to show us the Father, ...Jesus saith unto him, have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself: but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works (See John 14:8-10). Whether through Jesus Christ or through any other chosen, inspired being, during whatever dispensation, and specifically in these last days, the words spoken, and recorded in the Holy Scriptures, is from the mind and voice of God, our Creator - our Heavenly Father.

It was His Son, Jesus Christ that God appointed heir of all things. It was God that made that same Jesus, ... both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). It was God whose voice was heard coming from a cloud saying this about Jesus, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him (Matt. 17:5). It is Jesus Christ that purged our sins through His atoning sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. It was Jesus Christ that was made much better than the angels, and it is Jesus Christ that is currently seated on the right hand of the Majesty on high. It is God, that through His Son, Jesus Christ, currently speaks to us in these last days!