2 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;
God set forth both continuity and contrast in the first four verses. The revelation in Christ is an extension of the Old Testament; that is its continuity. However, the contrast lies in type and antitype. The Old presented Jesus as type, but the New set Him forth as the reality. The coming of the Son was climactic because it was a new and final era of God’s dealings with His people. It was a Son-epoch where we see Him in His superiority. He is “better than” other categories and times (He 2:8).
We see the Son’s superiority in seven resplendent concepts. Verses 2 through 3 give seven pronouncements about the Son.
2 has in these last days
“These last days” are the days of the New Testament when Jesus was on earth. The “last days” is a contrast to the times of the prophets who spoke in the Old Testament; it is a contrast to “time past” in verse 1. He used various means and ways to reveal Himself. The “last days” is the time when the Messiah came.
spoken to us by [in] His Son,
The word “us” here refers to those living after the prophets of the Old Testament. God spoke to those living as of the writing of the book of Hebrews. It also applies to those who succeed them in the church age.
We can translate the word “by” in “by His Son” with “in.” The literal expression in the Greek is “in Son” without an article or pronoun. The absence of a definite article “the” does not imply many sons as the agents of revelation. The argument is the exalted status of the Son; He is God’s final Agent of communication. The idea is that God spoke to us in someone who has the character of God’s Son. He could not communicate through prophetic writing in the way that He could through a Person. He was the Father’s final and full revelation (Mt 17:5).
The Father’s revelation through His “Son” far supersedes any other of His communications to men. Jesus is superior to all other agents by which God’s Word came. Angels and prophets do not compare to the credentials of the Son. Communication from the Son was the climax of all revelation. All prophecy and promises were fulfilled in Him.
The prophets of old could say, “Thus says the Lord,” but the Son can say, “I say unto you.” The grandeur of the communication of the Son far surpasses that of the prophets. When the prophets of the Old Testament spoke, they were merely mouthpieces of God. When the Son spoke, it was God Himself speaking. This is a superior way of communication from God. His revelation is unique and final. There is no progression of revelation beyond Him. There is only one Son, and all revelation is complete in Him. God’s revelation in Him is the highest kind of communication God could give. The issue is who and what the Son is.
PRINCIPLE:
The Son revelation is superior to all other revelation.
APPLICATION:
The Father spoke to mankind by a Son revelation. God revealed Himself by the incarnation of Christ. Since the world was in darkness when Jesus came, it could not grasp what God had to say (Jn 1:5). The only way man can break out of darkness is by divine revelation (Jn 1:14). The world had not seen such a complete revelation as in the Son.
There is continuity between the Old and New Testament. Jesus did not break with the Old Testament; He fulfilled it. He fulfilled all the promises spoken about Him. The Old Testament was fragmentary, partial, preparatory, and incomplete without Him. In Christ God spoke decisively and fully.
We cannot see the Son in the Old Testament like we can in the New Testament. An old ditty goes like this:
The New is in the Old concealed,
The Old is in the New revealed.
God’s revelation in the Old Testament awaited the coming of the Messiah. That included many means and people communicating Jesus. Having now come, the New Testament centers around the person of Christ. The book of Hebrews presents Him as the full and final revelation.
Since the New Testament and Jesus is the final revelation, God closed the canon of Scripture. Nothing was to be added to it. Cults such as Mormonism have violated that principle (Re 22:18-19).
