Hebrews 1:1,2:
1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by (Greek, en, Strong's #1722) the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by (Greek, en) a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds -- New Revised Standard Version

Our Trinitarian and Oneness neighbors, as well as some others, often find in the first chapter of Hebrews what they believe to be absolute proof that Jesus is Yahweh. However, when we look at the context and the rest of the scriptures, we find that this is not so. Even from the very start we find the author of Hebrews denying that Jesus is Yahweh who sent him. How? God [Yahweh] speaks by the Son [just as he spoke by the prophets], thus Jesus is not Yahweh [Jesus is not Yahweh anymore than the prophets are Yahweh]. -- Deuteronomy 18:15,18; John 1:17,18; 4:25,26; 8:28; 12:49,50; 15:15.

Rather than saying that Jesus is Yahweh, he shows that Jesus has been appointed as heir by Yahweh, that is, heir of all the Messianic promises spoken by the prophets. Being appointed heir by Yahweh, Jesus is not Yahweh who so appointed him as heir. -- Psalm 2:8; Daniel 7:13,14; Matthew 21:38; 28:18; John 3:35; Acts 2:36; 13:34; Romans 4:13; 8:17; Galatians 3:16.

God is the One who made [epoieesen, Strong's #4160: same word used in Ephesians 3:11: "carried out" KJV; "realized" RSV; "achieved" TEV; "purposed", World English] the ages [aiwnas, or periods of time] through Jesus, thus this gives further evidence that Jesus is not God. We read in Ephesians 3:11:

Ephesians 3:11
according to a purpose of the ages, which He made in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Young's Literal Translation

If the author of Hebrews 1:2 had meant to indicate the material universe or different worlds in the same time but occupying different space the appropriate word would have been kosmos. Aion always signifies a motion in time. Thus through Jesus Yahweh constructed the plan of the ages (Ephesians 3:11). It is the Father who formed the ages; Jesus is the one through whom he formed these ages.

We know some translators would like the latter part of verse 2 to read: "through whom he made the universe," or something similar. (See New Living Translation; Good News Bible in Today's English; God's Word Translation) While we do not view this as the proper translation, we can agree that God Almighty did create the universe through Jesus. It is still Yahweh, however, who is the Creator, while Jesus is the instrument which Yahweh uses.

Hebrews 1:3: Who, being an eradiated brightness of his glory, and an exact representation of his very being, also bearing up all things by the utterance of his power, purification of sins, having achieved, sat down on the right hand of the majesty in high places: --Rotherham

(6) "And He [Jesus] is the radiance of His [Yahweh's] glory." (NASB) "who [Jesus] being the effulgence of his [Yahweh's] glory." (ASV) "who [Jesus] being the brightness of His [Yahweh's] glory" (NKJV) "The Son reflects God's own glory." (NLT) "He [Jesus] is the reflection of God's glory." (NRSV) "He [Jesus] reflects the brightness of God's glory" (TEV) Many translations render the Greek word apaugasma [Strong's Greek #541] as "radiance", and some by this translation would have Jesus as somehow being the exact same being as the Father. However, Crosswalk's online Lexicon gives the first meaning of this word as "reflected brightness - a. of Christ in that he perfectly reflects the majesty of God," and the second meaning: "effulgence: a. shining forth, of a light coming from a luminous body (Vine) (b) out-raying (Vincent)" (Greek lexicon based on Thayer's and Smith's Bible Dictionary plus others) Jesus is the efflulgence of God's glory, the shining forth of the glory of God is through Jesus, who is the image of God, thus Jesus is further proof that Jesus is not God. -- 1 Corinthians 4:6; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 1:15; John 1:5,7.

The King James Version says that he is the express image of the person of God. The Greek word that is translated "express image" is charakteer. Some have argued that for Jesus to be "express image" or "exact representation" that he has to be the very one that he represents. The meaning of charakteer, as used in the verse, is: "the exact expression (the image) of any person or thing, marked likeness, precise reproduction in every respect, i.e facsimile." -- Thayer and Smith. "Greek Lexicon entry for Charakter". "The KJV New Testament Greek Lexicon". That which is an image or representation is never that of which it is an image or represenation. Jesus is, however, the exact character-likeness of his God, "full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) In this regard, each Christian, in proportion as he receives the spirit of God, gradually becomes a copy of God's dear Son, and therefore a copy of the Father. -- Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 3:21.

See:
http://www.biblestudytools.net/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=5481&version=kjv.

The scripture says that Jesus is the character-likeness of his, that is, Yahweh's, person. The Greek word from which the word "person" is translated is hupostasews, often referred to as hypostasis. This is important, because it is the word that is often used by trinitarians to designated the persons of the trinity: "treis hypostaseis en mia ousia", ("three persons in one substance"), or "mia ousia, treis hypostaseis" ("One essence in three hypostases"). Some translations translate the word hypostasis in Hebrews 1:3 as "substance", "being" or "nature" rather than "person", which seems to overlap ousia with hypostasis, rather than make a distinction between the two. In actuality, Hebrews 1:1,3 shows that God is a person -- one hypostasis, not three, and that Jesus is the image of the one person. -- New American Standard, American Standard, New Revised Standard, Revised Standard, Today's English (Good News), etc.

The scripture continues by saying that the Son is upholding all things by the word of his power. The thought that most trinitarian commentators would wish for us to get from this is that Jesus is Yahweh, upholding absolutely everything in the universe by his power. Thus they reason that this could not be done by Jesus if he were but a man while on earth, so they claim that this is proof that Jesus is God Almighty. The word translated upholding is pherwn (Strong's #5342). It has the basic meaning of to carry some burden. The words translated "all things" is ta panta, literally, "the all". As we have shown elsewhere, the expression "ta panta" is always used in the context of what is being spoken of. That which is being spoken of here is the inheritance and power that Jesus receives from God, and his work in relation to this. Jesus sustains or bears the load of all the things given to him, he makes sure that all will be accomplished, by means of the power (dominion) and authority given to him by the word of his Father, Yahweh. -- Isaiah 11:2; 61:1; Daniel 7:14; John 5:21-30; 8:29; 12:49,50; 14:24; Ephesians 1:20,21; 1 Peter 3:22

The scripture tells that after he had purged our sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Jesus purged our sins by the sacrifice of his humanity, and the offering of the sacrifice to God in heaven. (Hebrews 9:14-10:18) Having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat down at the right hand of God. (Hebrews 10:12) This is in fulfillment of Psalm 110:1. Yahweh is not speaking to another Yahweh in Psalm 110:1, as some have claimed; there is only one Yahweh, not two. -- Deuteronomy 6:4.

See also our study on Hebrews 1:3

Hebrews 1:4

having become so much better than the angels, as he has inherited a more excellent name than they have. -- World English Bible translation.

having become so much better than the messengers, as he did inherit a more excellent name than they. -- Young's Literal Translation

Thus while on the earth Jesus was lower than the angels. (Hebrews 2:9) Yahweh does not have to "become" superior to the angels, thus Jesus is not Yahweh. Again, this is part of the inheritance of the "all" mentioned in Hebrews 1:2. But someone asks: Didn't Jesus already have a superior place to the angels before coming to the earth, being the archangel? Yes, he did. But his exaltation after being raised is even greater than he had before coming to the earth. After being raised, we are told that it pleased his God that all the plentitude of might would dwell in him bodily (Colossians 2:9*), a might within his exalted body itself, a might much greater than the angels, and even the might that he had as the archangel, but after his exaltation he is now "far above all principalities and powers". -- Ephesians 1:21.
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See our study on The Fullness of Deity

Hebrews 1:5

For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have begotten [Gennao - Strong's #1080] you"? Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son"? -- New Revised Standard Version

The only true God is here speaking to another who is not himself.

It has been claimed by some that this scriptures says that Yahweh does not call any of his angels "son". The idea that this is saying that God will never call an angel his son has to be read into what is said, for the scripture does not say that.

What the writer of Hebrews 1:5 is saying is that Yahweh did not say these prophecies concerning any of the angels, but he said them respecting the one he sent to the earth as his representative. -- Hebrews 1:2.

In other words, the writer of Hebrews, presumed to be the apostle Paul, is not saying that God does not regard the angels as "sons", but that as far as the inheritance under discussion is concerned, they have no part in it. We do know that angels are referred to in the Bible as the "sons of God" (Genesis 6:2,4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7), but not in with respects to the inheritance of David's throne.

Two prophecies are referred to here. The first prophecy is from Psalm 2:7. It is a prophecy, not concerning the angels in heaven, but of one who was to begotten, or brough forth, in a special manner. This prophecy is quoted three times in the New Testament. Some often think that it is quoted by the Father when Jesus was baptized (Matthew 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22), but there is no direct indication of this. There are also some other scriptures in the Gospels that some have thought to be quoted from Psalm 2:7, but again there is no clear indication that such is the case: Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35.

Acts 13:32,33: "And we declare to you glad tidings -- that promise which was made to the fathers. God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.' (New King James Version) Here the apostle Paul applies this to the time when Jesus was raised from the dead, that he was the firstborn from the dead. This agrees with Romans 1:4; 6:9 and Colossians 1:18 and Revelation 1:5, where Jesus is spoken of as the "firstborn" from the dead. Yet the special application does not appear to be just to the event of his being raised, but also to his exaltation to the right hand of Yahweh.

There had been others who had been raised from the dead before Jesus, but they were all raised back to a dying life, not to a living life, never to die again. Jesus was the first to be raised to from the dead to life in the fullest sense; the first to be raise to die no more. (Romans 6:9; Revelation 1:18) Jesus, of course, was not an angel, or even the archangel, when he died and was raised from the dead. Nevertheless, his exaltation was after was raised from the dead. (Acts 2:32,33; Ephesians 1:20,22) This agrees with the verse before Hebrews 1:5 (verse 4): "having become so much better than the angels, as he has inherited a more excellent name than they have." When did Jesus become so much better than the angels? After he was raised from the dead as a mighty spirit being, for while he was yet a man in the flesh, he was a little lower than the angels. (Hebrews 2:9; 5:7) Thus Paul agrees here with what he stated in Acts 13:32,33, where he applies Psalm 2:7 to when Jesus was raised from the dead, although its application could be applied from the time he was anointed with the holy spirit as a token, earnest, or down payment, in a way similar to manner that it is applied to the church. -- 2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:13,14.

Another place that Psalm 2:7 is referred to is in Hebrews 5:5: "So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.'" (New King James Version). Again, when was Jesus made such a high priest? While on earth in the flesh? No. "For if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, seeing there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law." (Hebrews 8:4) Thus "we have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tent, which the Lord pitched, not man." -- Hebrews 8:1,2.

Thus the full application of Psalm 2:7 to Jesus is when he was raised from the dead and exalted to Yahweh's right hand, not at his birth as a human. This is not to say that Jesus was not God's Son as his offspring before his baptism or his resurrection. He was "brought forth" as a son at his original creation, for if the angels were called "sons of God", he certainly was also the firstborn son of God -- the firstborn of all creation. (Proverbs 8:24-26; Job 38:7; Colossians 1:15) Further, he was conceived as God's Son (by means of God's spirit) in Mary's womb. (Matthew 1:20) Gabriel announces to Mary that Jesus will be called Son of God before Jesus is born. (Luke 1:35) Matthew applies the prophecy of God's son coming out of Egypt to Jesus when he was yet a young child. (Matthew 2:15) That Jesus recognized that he was God's Son before being baptized can be seen by his statement when he was twelve: "Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?" -- Luke 2:49

The following are some of the scriptures that indicate that Jesus was God's son in his prehuman existence before coming to the earth: Proverbs 30:4; Mark 12:26; John 1:18; 8:28,38; 17:5,24; Romans 8:3; 1 Corinthians 8:9; Galatians 4:4; 1 John 4:9.

The latter part of Hebrews 1:5 is from a prophecy pertaining to the seed of David, and is in line with his being the son of the man, David -- as the one to inherit the throne of David. -- 1 Chronicles 17:11-15

The prophecy is not addressed to any of the angels, but it is directed to the seed of David, who was to come, not as an angelic spirit being, not as the prehuman Logos, nor as an archangel, but as a human of flesh and blood. -- Luke 9:35.

Hebrews 1:5 is often referred to supposedly counter the idea that Jesus was the archangel before coming to the earth. Whether Jesus was or is the archangel, however, has nothing to do with whether there are three persons in God. Being the archangel, however, would not place him in the classification spoken of here as "angels", if we recognize that the archangel is one step above the angels. See our study on With What Body Will We Be Raised? There is absolutely nothing in Hebrews 1:5 that confirms that Jesus is not Michael.

We note that many trinitarians have taught that Jesus is Michael long before Charles Taze Russell, although trinitarians who view Michael as Jesus do not believe Michael was ever created. Below are some links to sites that are evidently trinitarian that express the thought that Jesus is Michael. (Of course, we are not in agreement with the views expressed on these sites.)
http://members.aol.com/twarren15/michael.html
http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/michael.htm
http://s008.infomall.org/profacts2/proph19.html#jesusid

However, along this line we wish to note that the Hebrew word for "angel" -- Malik -- does not always refer to those classified as the angelic invisible spirit beings. Jesus is the messenger {Malik} of the covenant, sent by Yahweh. Jesus is not Yahweh. -- Malachi 3:1.

Hebrews 1:6

When he again brings in the firstborn into the world he says, "Let all the angels of God worship him."

This refers to Jesus' second coming. It is the time when God will give to him a "dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve [Aramaic, plach, worship, pay homage to; Strong's #6399] him." (Daniel 7:14) It is then also, that "The kingship and dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the holy ones of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve [Aramaic, plach, worship, pay homage to; Strong's #6399] and obey them." (Daniel 7:27, New Revised Standard Version) It is to this time that the writer of Hebrews makes reference; it is then God says to the one who comes again: "Let all the angels worship [give homage to] him." As shown in the prophecy, this homage is also to be given to the saints who rule with Jesus.

Certainly it is not wrong to bow before, or to give homage to, the Son of God, or to the saints when they rule with Jesus. There is a "worship" that only belong to Yahweh. To give this exclusive worship to Jesus, the saints, or any other creature, would be wrong. Certainly if the prophets, judges and kings of old merited obeisance - worship (Genesis 42:6; 49:8; 1 Samuel 24:8; 25:23,41; 28:14; 2 Samuel 1:2; 9:6; 14:4,22,33; 16:4; 2 Chronicles 29:20; Daniel 2:46), the one appointed by Yahweh as the King over not only the earth, but the heavenly angels, should even more so merit obeisance. This does not prove that Jesus is Yahweh who appointed him to receive this obeisance.
See our study on:
Worship and the Trinity

It is claimed that 'First born' does not in ANY WAY imply 'created'.

No, not directly; it does imply the giving of life, which is a form of creation (or procreation), as can be seen from Colossians 1:18 and Acts 13:33. Of course, the word "firstborn" as such is not used much in the NT, so there isn't much to compare it with except for the Hebraic background.

Hebrews 1:7

Of the angels he says, "Who makes his angels winds [spirits], And his servants a flame of fire."

This is what Yahweh speaks of the angels. (Psalm 104:4) He makes them spirits, that is, spirit beings of power. (Psalm 103:20) They are Yahweh's servants as a flame of fire, "so called from their great power, force, and swiftness; and from their burning love, and flaming zeal." (John Gill*) While the Son is far greater than the angels, the writer of Hebrews reminds us that the angels still have a position of glory; that they have no reason of disparagement. In times past God has used these powerful beings to make appearances to Abraham, to Moses, to Daniel, and other prophets and Patriarchs. The angels do serve God as ministering spirits. (1 Kings 19:5; Psalms 68:17; Matthew 4:11; Luke 22:43; John 1:51; Acts 12:7-11; 27:23; Hebrews 1:14) These angels communicate the will of God. (Daniel 8:16,17; 9:21-23; 10:11; 12:6,7; Matthew 2:13,20; Luke 1:19,28; Acts 5:20; 8:26; 10:5; 27:23; Revelation 1:1) They are used to execute the purposes of and judgments of Yahweh. (Numbers 22:22; 2 Samuel 24:16; 2 Kings 19:35; Psalms 35:5,6; 103:21; Matthew 13:39-42; 28:2; John 5:4; Revelation 5:2; 16:1) The Law Covenant was given through the angels. (Psalms 68:17; Acts 7:53; Hebrews 2:2) Angels were used to announce: The conception of Christ (Matthew 1:20,21; Luke 1:31); the birth of Christ (Luke 2:10-12); the resurrection of Christ (Matthew 28:5-7; Luke 24:23); the ascension and second coming of Christ. (Acts 1:11) They were also used to announce the conception of John the Baptist. (Luke 1:13,3) And it is angels who are given charge to oversee the affairs of God's people. (Psalms 34:7; 91:11,12; Daniel 6:22; Matthew 18:10) This high privilege and honor would be accorded only to those who could be trusted.
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*Gill, John. "Commentary on Hebrews 1:7". John Gill's Exposition of the Bible".
http://bible.crosswalk.com/Commentaries/GillsExpositionoftheBible/ gil.cgi?book=heb&chapter=001&verse=007.
1999.

Regarding Hebrews 1:8,9, see our study on "Hebrews 1:8,9, Psalm 45:6,7 - Why is Jesus called Elohim?

Regarding Hebrews 1:10, see our study on Hebrews 1:10 and Psalm 102:25-27

Regarding Hebrews 1:11,12, see out study on Immutability as an Alleged Incommunicable Attribute under Hebrews 1:11,12

Last Update: December 6, 2004.

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