Click here for the Hebrews 1:10-14 PODCAST
10 He also says, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, 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 You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.” 13 To which of the angels did God ever say, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? 14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? ~ Hebrews 1:10-14
Today, we close out our study of Hebrews 1. As we have noted before, the writer of Hebrews, in this chapter, quotes seven different Old Testament passages to establish the superiority of the Lord Jesus Christ as greater than that of the angels. We have considered the first five of the seven. Today, we will consider the last two.
In v.10 of today's passage we read, "He also says, 'In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands."'
Hebrews 1:10-12 is a quotation from Psalm 102:25-27. These verses remind us the Lord Jesus existed before He created this world. The Lord Jesus was there in the beginning. He existed before the beginning. The Lord Jesus is without beginning. In John 1:1 we read, "In the beginning was the Word." He was already there before the beginning began.
The Lord Jesus "laid the foundations of the earth and the heavens are the work of His hands." Once again, we are reminded the Lord Jesus is the eternal Creator. He is above it all, and He is immutable meaning He is unchanging.
In v.11 of today's passage we read, "They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment."
All that are created will perish. Those who know not the Lord will spend eternity in Hell, if they have never trusted in the free gift of God through the Lord Jesus. And, for those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we will spend eternity with God in heaven. This means death awaits us all, especially those who have no personal relationship with God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We will all die, but the Lord Jesus will remain. Here, yet again, the writer of Hebrews reminds us of the eternality of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, he goes on to write, "...they will all wear out like a garment."
The Lord Jesus was not created. He is eternal and immutable, He will forever remain the same and He will not change. The second law of thermodynamics informs us that all things left in isolation will deteriorate. And, sin, has separated us from God. So, we suffer from the law of entropy. This is why the Lord Jesus came to die and be raised again. He came to reunite us to the eternal and and be rescued from the grip of sin and entropy.
In v.12 of today's passage we read, "You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end."
In the book of Revelation, we read, "And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places."
The heavens, on the last day, will roll right up, like a scroll. The stars will fall out of the sky and they will come crashing to the earth. Every island and every mountain moved out of its place. The whole world will fall apart. And, those who know not God will experience what the earth will experience. Total collapse.
But, the Lord Jesus will not be affected by these events. In fact, He will create a new heaven and a new earth. Creation, as we know it, is subject to decay. Jesus Christ is not subject to decay and He will never change. And thus, we have His superiority over the angels.
In v.13-14 of today's passage we read, "13 To which of the angels did God ever say, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet'? 14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?"'
This is the seventh Old Testament quote, and it’s from Psalm 110:1, and it climaxes the full superiority of Christ to angels. In these two verses, we see the destiny of Christ and the angels. The destiny of Jesus Christ is that ultimately, everything in the universe will be subject to Him.
In v.13 the words "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet" gives unquestionable indication that Christ controls all things. At no time in Scripture do we ever find an angel doing that because their work is never done. Fortunately, Christ has completed His work which yields our salvation. The Lord Jesus sits down because He reigns.
In v.14, we learn of the destiny of the angels. Interestingly, it was the angels in the garden of Eden who kept Adam and Eve in their sinful state from having access to the tree of life. What a compassionate choice on their behalf, because had Adam and Eve had access to that tree, mankind would have never been saved. I can only imagine that in their sinful state, Adam and Eve wanted access to that tree. Given their condition as sinners, they probably lacked the proper theology that would have enabled them to see the actions of the angels as gracious.
In this final verse of Hebrews 1, we learn the destiny of angels which will be to "serve those who will inherit salvation." The angels are going to serve the saved forever. God made the angels to serve Him. I find it quite humbling that in eternity, their role will be to serve those of us who have come to faith in the Lord Jesus.
