Hebrews 1:1-1:3 The Power of God

This may feel a little awkward starting a study of the Book of Hebrews with a verse from Matthew’s gospel; however, this verse should be the foundational motivation behind all study.

Matthew 22:29 “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.”

This is a VERY harsh statement as Jesus is addressing those that profess the faith of YHVH. These are what the world today wants to label as the early “Christians”. What was the error of their ways? Not knowing the Scriptures! With that let us dig, and I mean DIG into the Scriptures.

What is the “Power of God”? Is it Creator? Is it as Savior? How about teacher? How does the writer of Hebrews proclaim this power?

Hebrews 1:1 God, who at sundry times (in many portions) and in divers manners (in many ways) spake in time past (formerly) unto the fathers (human parents) by the prophets, (inspired speakers)

First we have to determine: Who, or what is God? John 4:24 tells us: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” It does not say that God HAS a spirit, it say He IS a spirit.

We read this in the creation account Genesis 1:2 “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” YHVH has always existed as a Spirit and as such was without the need of terra-firma. Earth would be for our needs, our place to commune with YHVH.

Continuing on, when humanity was created in the “likeness” of YHVH that meant we were crafted after the manner in which God himself existed, we were given a spirit first. It would be after that, that a shell, or body would encapsulate that spirit. Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”

God crafts our spirit, our essence, our ability to think and to reason, and then places into the flesh suit. This is the same thing that has happened in the creation of Yeshua, with the difference being, the spirit inside Yeshua had 100% of YHVH’s Spirit within the flesh suit.

• Colossians 1:19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell”
• John sums this topic up nicely… “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

The unique part of our design is that spirit within that is completely our own. Both James and Paul talks about how there is a war within ourselves. James says “Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?”

While Paul says it and many think he is loosing his mind. Romans 7:15-19…

• “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.  Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”

I really do not want to use the word ‘compete’, probably for the same reason Paul and James do not use it, because it really feels like a war to me personally. Our spirit has the imprint of our Creator upon it, yet, it is up to each of us to seek out YHVH and connect to His Spirit. Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.“

What these men of faith knew, is this, there exists within us the capacity to surrender our pride and willfulness. These manifestations of our unique spirit are a direct result of the corruption of the fall. This corruption of spirit disconnects the Spirit of God and like all flowing power currents we have to reestablish the connection. One of the many roles Yeshua fulfilled.

Because we live within this current realm, the corrupted earth, the subsequently corrupted flesh is in constant battle with the Spirit of God inhabiting (or attempting to inhabit) your flesh suit. The modern church teaches the concept of the “Holy Spirit”, or in Hebrew Ruach HaKodesh, existing ONLY after Pentecost. We can see from the truth of Scripture that the Spirit, once again, has ALWAYS existed. In Genesis 41 Pharaoh asks his servants “Can we find such a one as this is [Joseph], a man in whom the Spirit of God is?”

Again in the Book of Numbers we see the Lord talking to Moses, “I will take of the Spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee”. Even the prophet Isaiah recalls these events. Isaiah 63:11 “Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him?”

Next: Who were these inspired [Spirit filled] speakers that spoke to our fore fathers in many ways and at many instances? They were the likes of Isaiah, whom we just refenced, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and so on. Its all the books in the middle of our modern Bible where few people are brave enough to tread. Never having been trained in Middle Eastern culture, history or topography; the average “Christian” would find many (maybe all) references and manners of speech impossible to unravel. This is the need in the western world today. We have no foundation and as such we “do err” in our walk.

• Psalm 110:1-4 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
• Melchizedek means King of Righteousness This is our Yeshua (or Jesus in the Greek). I prefer the term Yeshua as it means Salvation of YHVH.
• Acts 8:10 “To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man [Yeshua] is the great power of God.” [The Spirit within the Flesh]

Hebrews 1:2 “Hath in these last days (most recently) spoken unto us by his Son (Yeshua), whom he hath appointed (placed) heir (possessor) of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

The statement here is a major ‘sticking point’ for both the atheist and the Orthodox Jew. Why? An moreover, why doesn’t it bother the average “Christian”?

The Bible clearly states in Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning* God created the heaven and the earth.” Seems pretty cut and dry? God did the creating. But this statement of fact does not contain the “fullness” of His creation, nor does it address a time frame for creation. That is what the next verses, moreover the next chapters, detail for us. Verse 3 tells us that the first thing to be created was “light” and as we know from the text this is NOT the sun as it is created days later.

• H7225 רֵאשִׁית Be-re’shiyth (Bet ray-sheeth’) n-f. 1. the first, in place, time, order or rank. The word “beginning” or Be-re’shyit contains the Hebrew letters Bet, Resh, Aleph, Shin, Yod and Tav. The word beginning here is translated by the individual Hebrew letters thusly; Bet is Tent/house, Resh is head/father, Aleph means leader, Shin is a set of fangs/teeth meaning piercing, Yod is a hand/arm and Tav is a set of Crossed sticks. The full understanding of the word ‘beginning’ is now, “The head of the house of the Father, pierced by the hand, on a cross, to bring the covenant.”
• John 1:1-5 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was (inside) with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

Lets take a closer look into what John is saying here. John used the word “Word” or logos, in dual form intentionally, to the Hebrew this meant the same as the Law recorded by Moses “In the beginning YHVH created”, and to the Greek it meant the “Power controlling the universe.” Greeks would choose which god(s) to serve and thus they would have mentally inserted their favorite god(s) first. John was hoping to show them the One True God.

• Psalm 33:6 By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

Even Paul confirms the concept of YHVH creating this world through the expression, or manifestation, of Yeshua. In Colossians 1:15-17 “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

These Scriptures deliver the concrete and irrefutable deity of Jesus as an extension of the Spirit of YHVH. This is the only way God can bring His holy perfect presence anywhere close to humanity since our fall in the Garden. AND being a Perfect Creator….. he knew we would be rebels…. and it was his FIRST concern!

• Isaiah 46:10 “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.”

This let the entire world know that there has been, and is coming, a divinely appointed messenger [in the same accordance as the angels who were sent in the OT] proclaiming the coming of this person of Yeshua.  The part that speaks of deity are the words “In him”, In him was THE light. This explanation is like the sun, in that, in the sun there is the essence of light and it has no dependence upon anything else to produce a light. The sun continually produces light whether we are looking at it, or under a cloud, or hiding from it. The sun always produces light, and here too, Jesus is always the essence of YHVH. He cannot shut it off.

Hebrews 1:3 “Who being the brightness (radiant splendor THE light) of his glory, and the express image (an exact copy) of his person (essence), and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged (cast out) our sins (lawlessness), sat down on the right hand [place of Authority] of the Majesty on high:”

We should be able to see the full gospel message in that one verse. It literally says God himself came and exampled the instructions, paid the ransom for sin and went back to Heaven. All this, so we might live. Want a longer version?

Proverbs 8:22-36 “The Lord possessed me [Yeshua] in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world? When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men. Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.”

If you are still with me at this point Bravo! I am sure I have lost a few…. here it is in “layman’s term” …

God is, was and will always be a Spirit. His Spirit reconnects to mine at the point I surrender to His authority. As I allow my spirit to continually surrender my will to his will, this is the process of sanctification that leads to redemption. [1 Corinthians 1:30]

It is this omnipresent Spirit of God, the eternal King of Righteousness [Melchizedek], that is the earthly manifestation we call Yeshua.

This means the Creator and the Redeemer are one in the same and why Job proclaims “For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.“ Job 19:25

From Beginning to End.

Hear O Israel, the Lord your God is ONE! [Deut 6:4]

He is Mighty to save! [Zeph 3:17]

He is our Redeemer [Is 44:6]