Jesus vs. The Angels
[Of the Son He says]
10 “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands;
11 they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment,
12 like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”
13 And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?
14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
Hebrews is starting with an intro of how much greater Jesus is than angels. The writer is quoting some Psalms of David that talk about the Son of God way before Jesus ever came to live as a human man on Earth.
In John 1, John writes about “the Word” that was “with God and was God,” and that “through Him, all things were made.” He’s not talking about the Bible. He’s talking about Jesus. In v. 10, this writer refers to Jesus as the One who “laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning.”
Jewish readers would know when this was written that angels didn’t create the world. Yahweh created the world. Genesis 1:1 says “In the beginning, God…” and they still remembered that.
By establishing Jesus as the original Creator of all things, He is immediately promoted above all angels who were part of creation. They are created beings.
And as part of creation, they are temporary. Everything God has made will wear out and end, but God won’t. (Do a word study on the phrase “in Him” and you’ll find out that all of us in Him will live for eternity too!) So angels, while they are amazing and mighty and powerful and wonderful, are created for us, the ones who will inherit salvation.
You’re going to see a lot of angels over the next month or so. Fat naked baby angels with trumpets and tall slender angels with porcelain-pale skin and long wavy hair litter our Christmas decorations. From scripture, we know that real angels are not playing. They are busy as messengers. Sometimes they fight in wars.
And the only reaction humans have to them is fear and awe.
So whatever glory they have that they are so revered, Jesus is bigger and better. He will outlast the angels and His work will outlast all of the things that He commands them to do as His servants.
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