Hebrews 1:5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
God never spoke of the angels as He did of His Son. The angels are created beings. They are different than human beings. It is important to note that angels are always presented as males. That is an important point that is often overlooked in most religions. The Bible tells us that a large number of angels fell when Satan fell. The angels were given a choice to remain faithful to God or not. Revelation 12:4 tells us that Satan drew one third of the angels with him in his rebellion. Angels cannot be redeemed. Those that fell remain lost. There is no salvation for them. They cannot understand salvation either. Those angels that are still faithful angels cannot understand salvation. It is not for them.
God declared here that He had begotten Jesus Christ. That was a quote from Psalm 2:7. God speaks of a day.
Acts 13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
Romans 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
The day appears to be a reference to the day of Jesus’ resurrection. We know that Jesus Christ had no beginning and He has no ending. He is eternal as His Father is. He is the Creator of all things. In the context of our verse, the word begotten is in reference to Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. He was then exalted back to His place in glory but with a greater significance in that He had fulfilled His purpose in providing salvation for mankind. He has always been the Saviour of mankind, but there was a particular time in God’s unveiling of His plan, that Jesus Christ fulfilled the demands of the Saviour of mankind.
God is establishing the unique and great position of His Son. He was in a different place than the angels. In John 17 Jesus prayed to His Father that He would be glorified with the glory He had before He came to this earth. Jesus Christ ascended back up to heaven after His resurrection and is seated on the right hand of glory now.
In verse 6 God continued to contrast Jesus with the angels. Angels have an important place in God’s economy. Some people distort the place of angels. Some people have an image of an angel hanging from their mirror in their vehicle. Others have images of angels around in certain places on their yard or in their home. Angels are never to be worshipped. There is no benefit to having those images around. It is a form of idolatry. The godly angels are God’s messengers, but again, they are not equal to His Son. The angels were commanded to worship Jesus Christ. In Luke 2:13 we read that the angels exalted Jesus Christ at His birth. They acted in a manner that demonstrates their worship of Him.
In verse 7 God referred back to Psalm 104:4. God spoke of the place of angels in that passage. They are servants of the living God. Elijah was carried up to heaven in a chariot of fire which would have had angels involved in it. Ezekiel gives a description of the holiness around the throne of God. The angels there were also described with fire. We can go back to the Garden of Eden and see that God placed Cherubims at the entrance of that Garden to keep Adam and Eve out. They were described as having a flaming sword. Fire is sometimes used to speak of holiness. It is also used to speak of judgment. The angels of God have an important place in His affairs, but they are not equal to the Son.
In verse 8 God makes that clear. The Son of God has a throne. In Matthew 28:18 Jesus stated that all power was given unto Him. At death the saints appear at the judgment seat of Christ. At the resurrection of the dead, all the lost will appear at the great white throne judgment. Jesus Christ will be the One sitting on that throne.
Notice the wording there. “Thy throne O God”. God is speaking of His Son. God the Father called His Son, God. That is Who Jesus Christ is. In John 10:30 Jesus declared that He and His Father were one. The Bible tells us that the Jews took up stones to stone Jesus at that point. They rejected Him as God.
It is important as well to note that Jesus’ throne is an everlasting throne. False religions have dead leaders. The Muslims are looking for the 12th Imam. They are not looking for their false prophet, “Mohamed” to come back. They have no hope. Jesus Christ is eternal and His throne is eternal. There will never be a replacement. There will never be a need to train someone else for that important position.
Jesus’ throne is one of righteousness and it is also an eternal throne. In Jesus’ hand is a sceptre of righteousness. Queen Esther was afraid to come into King Ahaseurus’ presence because he had not called for her. He was just a man who was crowned as king. He had great authority, but not equal to that of Jesus Christ. Those who are saved need not fear coming into God’s presence. The Bible teaches us that the only way that anyone can enter into the presence of God the Father is through God the Son. Jesus taught that very clearly. No one can pray directly to the Father. No one can pray to Jesus Christ or to the Holy Spirit. All prayer is directed to the Father in the name of the Son. Those who are lost need to be in fear of Him and they will be so at the great white throne judgment.
Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
It is far better to bow before a holy God now in repentance and know the forgiveness of sin offered by the Lord Jesus Christ, than to reject Him and face the wrath of God now and into eternity. Jesus Christ is better. He is the Saviour. He is the King and will be acknowledged as King by all one day. Those who are saved today have the privilege of worshipping Him and serving Him as Lord of their lives. He is the all wise King Who will guide and direct His children safely through this life and into glory.
Pastor Bartel
