“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 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; 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, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they” (Hebrews 1:1-4).
Our verse does a good job disclosing what is not evident from Jesus being born over 2,000 years ago. What had come before, all the prophecies and inspired writings compiled leading to that point, were a preamble to Jesus. As Paul so eloquently put it, “But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (Galatians 3:23-25).
God’s son, Jesus has been appointed heir of all things. He said Himself while on earth, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). This heirship was completed by Jesus’ willingness to obey God’s will to the point of dying on the cross at Calvary. As Paul wrote, learning this obedience until death resulted in God highly exalting Him, and giving “Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).
The final part of our text asserts Jesus’ Divine nature, a part of which is He eternal existence. He was present at the beginning, playing the integral part in our creation. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:1-3).
Retaking that eternal form, ascending to God’s right hand and reigning on His throne, clearly shows He will continue as the King of kings and Lord of lords through eternity. As we are baptized, we become citizens of that eternal kingdom. When He comes back, we are promised He will meet us in the air, and “we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18).
Thank God for His wonderful plans for our eternal salvation in Jesus Christ!
