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 readingThe 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 readingAfter 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.
Continue readingThe first chapter of Hebrews stresses the supremacy of the high priest who now sits at the “right hand of the majesty on high.” First, the eternal sovereignty of God is described (“Your throne, O God, is to times everlasting”), then, the qualifications of the Son for the priesthood are stated (“You loved righteousness and hated lawlessness”).
This leads to the letter’s first exhortation and severe warning. Considering the excellency of the Son’s name and his exalted status, any failure to heed the “word spoken” by God in him will result in horrific consequences.
Continue readingThe New Testament warns of a future apostasy caused by deceivers that will precede the day of the Lord.
The New Testament warns repeatedly and consistently that before Jesus arrives at the end of the age the church will find itself under assault from within by deceivers. And before the “day of the Lord” comes, his disciples will be confronted by the “man of lawlessness,” a figure linked inextricably to the coming “apostasy.”
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