An Exposition

“God Has Spoken Through His Son”

Hebrews 1:1-4:

“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, and He has obtained a more excellent name than they” (Hebrews 1:1-4, NKJV).

The world, then as now, does everything within its power and influence to make people either doubt or abandon the Christian faith. The Lord Jesus Christ receives as much hatred and disdain as He does love and obedience today and when He walked the earth two thousand years ago in the land of Israel. He still has the power to transform lives and change the destinies of people, and He has the authority to do what is needed for the good of His creation and His Sovereign will.

Dictators, despots, critics, and every enemy of the Gospel who cried out that they would rid the world of Christianity with their words or weapons lie in obsolete tombs; their works are lost to time or are collecting dust in the back of an antique store or bargain table. The anvil of God’s Word and Majesty has withstood every blow from the hammer of doubt and hatred and has shattered them all.

Pressure, threats, and subtle persuasions draw people away from the offer of salvation, and the influence of family members and social status plays a key role in this mission of eradication and abandonment of Christ.

The original recipients of this letter, which resembles a sermon in its structure and presentation, were Jews who had left the rituals and ceremonies of the Law and the sacrifices in order to embrace the claim of Jesus Christ as the perfect Lamb and the perfect, final sacrifice for the atonement of His people and all who would seek His mercy and peace regardless of nationality or background.

Those Jews who did not or would not accept the mission of Jesus were trying to get their friends and family away from Him and back to the previous and traditional methods of worshipping God, set in the Law that God gave Moses on Sinai while in the wilderness generations ago. To walk away from this tradition and life was tantamount to abandoning God and everything they knew as faithful Jews, and many were wondering if following Jesus was worth the trouble. The increasing persecution from the hands of Rome was not helping either. Many Jewish Christians had been thrown to the animals in the arenas and had died horrific deaths by other means at the whims of the emperors, who would not tolerate the idea of another king greater than the benevolent Caesar.

Jewish antagonism towards the occupying Romans turned into rebellion in A.D. 66, and the Zealots were killing anyone who even thought of abandoning Jerusalem or the Temple. That included the Christian Jews who had heard of the warning given by the Lord Jesus years before about the coming destruction of the city and the Temple. They were obeying His call to flee, further intensifying the perception of disloyalty and an abandonment of all that was held dear. These times planted the seeds of conflict between Christian and Jew that still exist today, and only recently have there been signs of reconciliation and understanding.

Now, we can boast that we would have never thought once about walking away from Jesus, even in that perilous time. This is the same irritating mindset that we have about the apostles when they all fled after Jesus was arrested, put on trial, and crucified with only John and Mary looking upon Him as He was dying with unbelievable pain and agony physically and spiritually for the sake of those who both loved and hated Him. We read of these men running away and hiding, and we think that we would be courageous enough to stand at the foot of the cross and keep the LORD company. We sneer at Thomas’ doubts and skepticism and all but consign him to hell for his feelings and attitude, saying that we would never have doubted Jesus’ promise of resurrection.

Oh, give me a break and report to the real world! You would have been just as terrified, anxious, doubtful, and wary as they were during those three days where the LORD was in the tomb and they felt that all was lost. We tend to place haloes on these fallible, dull of mind, rough, coarse, and frightened men, forgetting that these were real people with real emotions. One had denied Him, and another had betrayed Him, his body hanging off a cliff, with his soul forever chained to the darkness and terror of hell.

It would not only be a miserable ending to the life of a notable teacher, but no one would have heard of Jesus if He were still in the tomb. If He were still dead, everything He said about Himself would have been a lie, a deception, and an associate of the devil himself to drag people to hell. We would still live and die as unrepentant reprobates who would always be in a perpetual state of hating, cursing, and denying the Sovereign God of all things. The death of Jesus would have been pointless at the least.

One does not die a horrid death for claiming to be God if you are not God in the first place. The entirety of the Bible would have been thrown away and discredited as an inaccurate portrayal of God and the Jewish nation. Prophecies would have been nothing more than fable and fantasy and not worth the time to read or contemplate, a waste of time and effort on anyone’s behalf.

Yet, as the Gospels record and as scholars, historians, archaeologists, and the work of skeptics who found out otherwise, the tomb is empty because Jesus Christ did what He said He would do. He rose from the dead, fulfilled what He promised, completed the work of redemption on our behalf, and proves the accuracy and truth of the prophets.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ proved the validity and authority of Scripture. It gives new life to anyone who would come to Him in faith for grace and mercy. It shows that our God is a great, benevolent, merciful, all-powerful Sovereign whose plan for our salvation was not only devised before the foundation of the world, but came to pass and proclaimed to His enemies and foes that He rules and reigns over all creation. It shows that His will is always going to come to pass, even when we do not understand all that is going on in the world.

We are finite and limited in our comprehension, but God is outside space, time, and matter and is in total control, seeing the beginning and end of history. The Lord Jesus Christ is the King who will rule and reign on the new earth and in the new heaven; for He is all victorious and has defeated the work of the world, the flesh, and the devil once and for all.

The author of Hebrews saw it as his duty to show through Scripture and the history of the Jews that Jesus Christ fulfills all the requirements of the perfect and final sacrifice for sins, and to return to the old ways would be to deny His power, authority, and Divinity. Hebrews is a call to see Jesus Christ for Who He is, the eternal One to whom we can approach and call upon; for His death tore the Temple curtain in two, allowing humanity and God to reconcile and re-establish the relationship that had been lost in Eden. Hebrews is a call to both his fellow Jews and us as well to not cave under the pressure and threats from the world with its wickedness and deceit.

God has spoken to His people through the teachings and work of the Lord Jesus, His only begotten Son, better than any sacrifice or ritual we could ever practice or follow.

You do not have to get cleaned up to take a bath, and you do not have to resort to rites, rules, and any other way of trying to “get right” with God. Anything you do outside of Christ is no better than offering God a filthy leper’s rag as far as your so-called “righteousness” goes.

The book of Hebrews, as well as the entirety of the Scriptures, points to Jesus Christ as the Author and Finisher of our faith and the only way to peace with God the Father and eternal life (John 3:16, 14:1-6; Acts 4:12; Romans 5:6-11, 6:23, 8:31-39, 10:9-10).

Come to Him today, as He waits for you with open arms; He is the reason for life that you have been seeking.

donaldwhitchard@gmail.com

www.realitycityreverend.com

The Story of Joseph

The story of Joseph in the book of Genesis occupies a significant part of the first book in the Bible and provides the foundation for the birth of the nation of Israel some 430 years after Jacob and his family entered Egypt (Gen. chapters 37-50, Ex. 12:40-41). After being thrown into a pit by Joseph’s ten brothers and later sold to some Ishmaelites (also Midianites) going to Egypt, Joseph was sold again to “Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard” (Gen. 37:18-36, 39:1).

While Joseph was enslaved in Egypt, the Lord prospered him, and Potiphar made him “overseer over his house, and all that he had, he put into his hand” (Gen. 39:2-6). For Joseph’s sake, the Lord greatly blessed Potiphar and his house and all that he had in the field. Through no fault of his own, Joseph was thrown into prison due to false accusations from Potiphar’s wife (Gen. 39:7-20). While Joseph was in prison, the Lord blessed him and helped him interpret the dreams of the chief butler and the chief baker, who had been thrown into the king’s prison after they had offended Pharaoh (Gen. 39:21-23, 40:1-23).

From Prospering in Prison to Divine Providence with Pharaoh

Two years passed after Joseph’s interpretation of the chief butler’s dream, and one night after going to bed, Pharaoh experienced two vivid dreams that greatly troubled his spirit. So Pharaoh called for his magicians and wise men to see if they could interpret them, but after listening to Pharaoh’s dreams, no one was able to explain their meaning. The chief butler then remembered when Joseph, the Hebrew, had interpreted his dream after he and the chief baker were thrown in prison. Since Joseph’s interpretation of the chief butler’s dream came true, just as Joseph had predicted, the chief butler decided to tell Pharaoh about his dream while in prison with Joseph.

After Pharaoh heard from the chief butler that there was a Hebrew slave who had the ability to interpret dreams, Pharaoh sent for Joseph (Gen. 41:1-13). Pharaoh’s servants then went to the prison where Joseph was held and brought him out of the dungeon. Joseph cleaned himself up and changed his clothes. Then Joseph was brought before Pharaoh to see if he could interpret Pharaoh’s dreams (Gen. 41:14). Pharaoh then told Joseph that the magicians and wise men were not able to interpret his dreams, but he had heard that Joseph could interpret dreams. Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace” (Gen. 41:15-16).

After Pharaoh had told Joseph the two dreams (Gen. 41:17-24), Joseph gave God the glory for the interpretation, and then he told their meaning to Pharaoh (Gen. 41:25-32). Both dreams referred to the same event, and having two dreams meant that the dreams were certain and would happen soon. The seven fat cows and the seven good ears of corn represented seven good years where Egypt would have an abundance of crops. The seven good years would then be followed by seven bad years of famine where no food would be grown in the land (Gen. 41:26-32).

Joseph’s Advice to Pharaoh

Joseph told Pharaoh to find a prudent and wise man and put him in charge of gathering an abundant supply of food for the next seven years that would help them get through the seven years of famine (Gen. 41:33-36). Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams and his advice to Pharaoh “was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants,” and Pharaoh said: “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?” (Gen. 41:37-38). Pharaoh then told Joseph: “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you” (Gen. 41:39-41).

Then Pharaoh took off his ring and put it upon Joseph’s hand, had him arrayed in fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck. Joseph then rode in the second chariot behind Pharaoh and was made “ruler over all the land of Egypt” (Gen. 41:42-46). Joseph was put in charge of setting up a program to store up food for the next seven years so the land of Egypt would be prepared when the seven years of famine arrived (Gen. 41:46-49).

After Pharaoh promoted Joseph to second in command in Egypt and gave him authority over the agricultural crops, in order to prepare for the seven years of famine that was coming in the future, Joseph put in place a program that required all farmers to give one fifth (20%) of their crops to Pharaoh (Gen. 41:33-46). With God’s blessings, the crops were overly productive, and the Egyptians had a substantial amount of food grown during the seven years of plenty (Gen. 41:47-49).

Are Pharaoh’s Dreams a Picture of the Coming 70th Week of Daniel?

Are the seven years of plenty that the Egyptians enjoyed, before the seven years of famine decimated their crops, a harbinger of the time that will precede the future seven-year tribulation period (Daniel’s 70th week)? Are we in transition between “the sevens” like Egypt experienced? To put it another way, will the world enjoy a time of wealth and prosperity just before the future seven-year tribulation that will be comparable in some ways to the abundance experienced by the Egyptians before the seven years of famine overtook their land?

Although we are not currently experiencing a seven-year time cycle like God revealed to Joseph through Pharaoh’s dreams, the world has enjoyed increasing prosperity for over seventy years, since Israel became a nation in 1948 and Jerusalem was seized from Jordan in 1967. Perhaps the “peace” and “prosperity” of the United States, which greatly affects the whole world, has been a direct result of heeding the Psalmist: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces'” (Psalm 122:6-7).

After coming out of the Great Depression during the decade of the 1930s, the United States rebounded and had a strong economy during World War II (1939-1945), which saw three years of double-digit growth. Following three years of recession at the end of WWII (1945-1947), the United States began to recover economically in 1948 with over 4% GDP (Gross Domestic Product) that year. Today, the world economy consists of 193 national economies, with the United States being the largest (GDP: $21.43 trillion). ^[1]

The total world GDP for the year 2019 was nearly $88 trillion ($87.80). The United States and China alone control over one-third (40.75%) of the total world GDP ($35.77 trillion). ^[2] Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many small businesses, local governments, churches, institutions and organizations were coerced by governors, mayors and other governmental leaders to close or greatly limit their operation. With all of the many closings and restrictions adversely affecting the global economy (GDP), what long-term effects will these economic, religious, educational and social disruptions have on society?

Before Covid-19, the global economy was at $88 trillion. The projected global growth from the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) World Economic Outlook was -4.9% for 2020, with many of the world’s biggest economies in recession. “In 2021, global growth is projected at 5.4 percent. Overall, this would leave 2021 GDP some 6½ percentage points lower than in the pre-COVID-19 projections of January 2020.” ^[3] The economic damage from Covid-19 for businesses and their employees will have serious repercussions for years to come.

Will a Time of Prosperity Precede Daniel’s 70th week?

Is the world beginning to transition from the “good times,” relatively speaking — where we experienced a record-breaking period of growth and prosperity in the United States, Israel and throughout the world — to the “bad times,” which will usher in a global, totalitarian government with a surveillance society and a closely monitored digital currency? Are the prophetic scriptures in the Bible aligning as the prophets predicted? (Dan. 12:4, 9-10).

For some time, international bureaucrats have been positioning themselves (The Great Reset) to install a “one-world government” with open borders, restrictions on buying and selling (trade), limitations on travel, curbs on free speech and religious liberty, restrictions on the right to own and bear arms, future quantum dot vaccinations, and other nefarious activities.

How close are we to some of the apocalyptic events described in the books of Daniel and Revelation that will one day catch the world off guard, like a trap that closes quickly on its unsuspecting prey? (Luke 21:28-36, Rev. 3:3, 10-11). What does today’s prosperity have to do with the future, seven-year tribulation (Daniel’s 70th Week)? How do the seven years of prosperity experienced in Egypt over 3,500 years ago, during the days of Joseph and Pharaoh, relate to the seventy-plus years of prosperity we have enjoyed since the end of World War II?

Just as God prospered Egypt because of Joseph, Jacob (Israel) and the children of Israel and for “blessing” the future descendants of Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3), the Lord has prospered the United States because of her “blessings” to Israel (Gen. 12:1-3). The many “blessings” bestowed upon the nation of Israel in recent years by the United States, including recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, has not been forgotten by the Creator of the universe Who watches over Israel (Psalm 121:1-8).

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth… Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:1-4).

The prosperity of the world’s major superpower, the United States (like Egypt during Joseph’s days), combined with the economic prosperity of the rest of the world from the middle of the last century up through recent years, reveals that the world has experienced (and is still experiencing) a time of wealth and prosperity that greatly exceeds the seven good years that came before the seven bad years during the days of Joseph’s reign in Egypt.

As the prosperity of the world today is much greater than the prosperity the Egyptians experienced, the future seven-year tribulation period will be worldwide and much greater in scope and severity than the seven-year famine the Egyptians suffered through. The “great tribulation” (last half) will be a time such as the world has never experienced “since the beginning of the world,” with “men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth…” (Matt. 24:21-22, Luke 21:25-26, 35-36, Rev. 3:10, 6:1-19:21).

The Generation of His Coming

The Lord told His apostles, as recorded in Acts 1:6-7, that it was not for them “…to know the times or the seasons…” for the restoration of the kingdom to Israel. The mystery of “the times and seasons” of the kingdom’s restoration to Israel was not for the apostles to know, but it was to be concealed and later revealed to a future generation that Jesus described in “the parable of the fig tree” (Matt. 24:32-34, Mark 13: 28-30, Luke 21:29-32).

The official return to life of the fig tree (the nation of Israel) took place when Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion proclaimed Israel’s Independence “on May 14, 1948, in Tel Aviv on behalf of the Provisional Government of Israel.” ^[4] Israel’s rebirth as a nation (Isaiah 66:8-10) is linked directly with the generation (Luke 21:28-36) that will witness the second coming of Christ back to earth.

The specific generation Christ was talking about, that “will not pass away” until after the kingdom of God is established on earth, is alive today and is currently between 70 and 80 years of age. Since the rapture of the saints, the seven-year tribulation period (Daniel’s 70th Week) and Christ’s physical return back to earth must all take place before the generation Christ was talking about dies off, we must be getting close to the inception (beginning) of these three events. That is because the generation that began (was born) when Israel became a nation over 70 years ago is rapidly approaching the final years of its existence and will soon “pass away” (Matt. 24:33-34).

The Times and Seasons of His Coming

The “Day of the Lord” will begin when the words “peace and security” and “peace and safety” are commonplace among the global elite (1 Thess. 5:1-3). Use of the specific words “peace, security and safety,” both oral and written, in speeches, treaties and negotiations by world leaders and the global media in reference to the Middle East peace process has increased in recent years with “many” new participants seeking peace (Dan. 9:27).

“Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (1 Thess. 5:1-3, ESV).

This “last days” prophecy about “peace and security,” given by the Apostle Paul nearly 2000 years ago, uniquely fits today’s scenario that has been slowly unfolding with the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The “times and seasons” of the rapture (catching up) of the “bride of Christ” is a mystery (1 Cor. 15:51-52) that is linked with the scriptures about “peace and security” and the “day of the Lord,” almost as if they are contiguous or will occur at approximately the same time.

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:16-18, ESV).

The timing of the rapture, also called the “blessed hope” in Titus 2:13, will be as “a thief in the night” to those not watching, but “the times and seasons” of the rapture will not be a surprise to those who are looking for His return (1 Thess. 5:4-6, Matt. 25:1-13, Luke 21:34-36, Rev. 3:3). Are you watching the many “signs” heralding Christ’s soon return as we begin to “see the day approaching?” (Heb. 10:25, Eph. 4:30, Luke 21:28).

Prepare for Lift Off

With many prophecies that will be fulfilled during the future seven-year tribulation period (Day of the Lord) beginning to converge on the world stage and cast their shadows backward into today’s headlines, are we beginning to transition from a time of unparalleled prosperity to a time of declining affluence where fresh food and water will become scarce (dearth) and the events of Daniel’s 70th week begin to unfold? (Dan. 9:27, Rev. 6:1-8).

When Jesus Christ returns “in the air” for His saints “at his appearing,” make sure you have already made your reservation to go to Heaven and are following the Lord’s plan for your life (John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; 2 Tim. 4:1, 8; Titus 2:11-13; Heb. 9:28). Before His wrath is poured out on this wicked and God-rejecting world (John 1:11), make “your calling and election sure” (1 Thess. 1:10, 5:4-11, 2 Peter 1:10-11, 1 Cor. 15:51-58).

“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:34-36).

Whatever your priorities in this life may be, reevaluate them now and make sure God is at the top of your priority list. The things of this world will not matter one minute after the “trumpet” blows and the bride of Christ is removed “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” to meet the Lord in the air (1 Cor. 15:51-58, 1 Thess. 4:16-17, James 4:4, 1 John 2:15-18). The “Day of the Lord” will be a time when literally, “all hell breaks loose” on the earth (Rev. 9:1-21). Don’t be one of the many unfortunate souls who ignore the “signs” and will be left behind!

“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

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Endnotes

[1] GDP (current US$), World Bank national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files, Year 2019, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true

[2] Ibid.

[3] World Economic Outlook Update, January 2021: Policy Support and Vaccines Expected to Lift Activity, https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO, January 20, 2021

[4] Israel’s Declaration of Independence — May 14, 1948, https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-declaration-of-independence-may-14-1948/

(Unless otherwise noted, scriptures are from the New King James Version (NKJV).