“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of is person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:1-3).

What a beautiful passage!  God now speaks to us by his son.

 Time Past

God once spoke to man “at sundry times.”  The wording literally means, “in many parts” or “in many portions.”  The New American Standard Bible reads, “in many portions.”  God revealed his plan for man a little at a time.

God once spoke “in divers manners.”  The wording literally means “in many ways.”  The New American Standard Bible so translates it.

 Time Present

God now speaks “by his son.”  This son is not just some other prophet.  He was in the beginning with God and by him the worlds were made (see Hebrews 1:1-3; John 1:1:1-3, 14; Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:16-17).  He is the son (Hebrews 1:1-3 cf. Hebrews 3:5-6).  He is the heir of all things (Hebrews 1:1-3; cf. Matthew 28:18; John 5:22-23).  He is the one who upholds all things (Hebrews 1:1-3 cf. Colossians 1:17).

Man has never seen God in his essence (John 1:18; John 6:46; 1 John 4:12; Exodus 33:20).  However, Jesus is the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person” (Heb. 1:1-3).  When we come to know the Son, we come to know the Father (John 1:18; John 14:9; 1 Timothy 3:16).

This Jesus shed his blood for us (Hebrews 1:1-3).  He sat down after making this perfect sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 1:1-3 cf. Hebrews 10:11-12).  He is risen, death did not defeat Him (Hebrews 1:1-3; Hebrews 1:13; Hebrews 8:1; Heb. 10:12; Hebrews 12:2).

A Paraphrase

Dr. Robert A. Morey paraphrases Hebrews 1:1-2 this way, “God spoke to the fathers through the prophets in bits and pieces and in many different ways.  The entirety of God’s revelation was not given to humanity in a single instance but was dispersed in different ways to different people over several thousand years.  Each new revelation was like a piece of a cosmic puzzle  Even when the last of the Old Testament prophets had all the pieces which were given to those before Him, he still could not understand the total picture.  It was only after the coming of Christ that the last remaining pieces were supplied and the puzzle completed.”  (Death and the Afterlife, p. 22).

God has blessed us by speaking to us by his Son. It is his Son who has “the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).