The New Testament warns believers that before Jesus returns his Church will be under assault from within by deceivers, “false anointed ones,” and “false prophets,” and it does so repeatedly. Before the “Day of the Lord” begins, his disciples will be confronted by the “Man of Lawlessness,” a figure linked to the final “Apostasy,” the final great “falling away” from the true faith.
Continue readingApostasy
Hold Fast to the Word
The first literary section of the Letter to the Hebrews concludes with an exhortation and an ominous warning. Any would-be disciple of Jesus who fails to heed the far “better word” that God is now speaking in His Son will suffer an even “sorer punishment” than the rebellious Israelites received when they disobeyed the Mosaic Law. At Mount Sinai, the Torah was mediated to Moses by angels. Nevertheless, it was God’s word – He was its source – and therefore lawbreakers were punished severely.
Continue readingLet Us Draw Near
After urging believers to enter God’s “rest,” the section concludes with a description of the powerful word of God, then returns to the subject of Christ’s priesthood. Believers must strive to enter His “rest” while the opportunity remains – “TODAY, hearken to His voice.”
Because Israel refused to believe the words of Yahweh, Joshua could not lead that generation into the Promised Land.
Continue readingEnter His Rest
The letter continues using the example of Israel’s rebellion in the wilderness to summon believers not to make the same error of unbelief and thereby fail to enter God’s “rest.” In the desert, Yahweh decreed that the generation of Israelites freed from Egyptian bondage would not enter the promised land. And so, disciples who fail to “hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end” will face a similar fate.
Continue readingHarden not your Hearts
After expounding on the “household of God” and demonstrating the superiority of the Son over Moses, the “servant of God,” the study continues with a lesson drawn from the story of Israel. During its sojourn in the wilderness, the Israelites complained bitterly against Moses for leading them to a place lacking sufficient water.
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