📓 Background, Setting & Purpose

✍️ Author:

Unknown (commonly attributed to Paul, though not stated)

👥 Written To:

Jewish believers who were tempted to return to Judaism under pressure and persecution

⏲️ When:

Likely between AD 64–68, just before the destruction of the Temple

🌍 Setting & Purpose:

The letter to the Hebrews is written to Jews who had come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah but were being tempted to abandon that faith due to trials, social rejection, and doctrinal confusion. The author exhorts them to stand firm, showing that Christ is better in every way: better than angels, Moses, the priesthood, the sacrifices, and the Law.

Hebrews 1:1–4 launches this powerful letter with a majestic declaration of who Jesus is: the very radiance of God, Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, and the final Word.

🔍 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, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”

✨ Phrase-by-Phrase Breakdown

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets…”

• This refers to the Old Testament period, when God spoke progressively through different prophets (Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, etc.).
• Revelation was partial and fragmented, given in types, shadows, and symbols.
• God was not silent, but the full message had not yet been revealed.

“…has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…”

• “These last days” began with Christ’s first coming.
• God’s final revelation is not through more prophets, but through His Son.
• Jesus is not just a messenger; He is the message.

“…whom He has appointed heir of all things…”

• As the Son, Jesus is the rightful heir of all creation.
• This reflects Psalm 2:8, where the Father promises the nations as an inheritance to the Son.

“…through whom also He made the worlds…”

• Jesus is not a created being. He is the Creator.
• “Worlds” (Greek: aiōnas) includes not just the physical universe but time, space, and all created order.
• Colossians 1:16 affirms that all things were created by Him and for Him.

“Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person…”

• Jesus is the exact representation (charaktēr) of God’s nature.
• He’s not a reflection or a shadow—He IS the radiance of God’s glory.
• To see Jesus is to see the invisible God (John 14:9).

“…and upholding all things by the word of His power…”

• Jesus is not only the Creator, He is the Sustainer of the universe.
• The galaxies are held together not by gravity alone, but by the authority of Christ’s Word.

“…when He had by Himself purged our sins…”

• The phrase “by Himself” emphasizes the sufficiency and solitary nature of His work on the cross.
• No priest, no sacrifice, no ritual can add to what He accomplished.
• Hebrews 9:12 – He entered once for all with His own blood.

“…sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…”

• To sit down signifies a finished work (Hebrews 10:12).
• The right hand of God signifies authority, honor, and power.
• Christ reigns even now, though His enemies are not yet made His footstool (Psalm 110:1).

“…having become so much better than the angels…”

• Jesus is not an angel; He is infinitely superior.
• Angels are messengers; Jesus is the eternal Son.
• This was critical to Jewish believers tempted to elevate angels (Hebrews 2:5).

“…as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”

• That name is Son.
• Jesus inherited it by eternal right, not by appointment or creation.
• Philippians 2:9 also speaks of the name above every name.

❌ What This Passage Does Not Mean

• It does not teach that Jesus is part of creation.
• It does not imply that angels are worthy of equal worship.
• It does not support progressive revelation beyond Christ.

✅ What It Does Mean

• Jesus is God’s final Word.
• He is Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, and King.
• The fullness of God is revealed in the Son.
• His sacrifice once for all purged our sins.
• He is seated—His work complete—reigning in glory.

🙏 Summary

These verses are some of the most breathtaking in all of Scripture.

The same Jesus who spoke galaxies into existence walked the dusty roads of Israel.
The hands that flung stars into space were the same hands pierced for our transgressions.
He made the tree on which He would be crucified.
He formed the hill on which He would die.
He created the very men who nailed Him to the cross.

But death could not hold Him.
And we praise the God who gives us the victory through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Creator. Sustainer. Redeemer. King.

This is the Supremacy of Christ—unmatched, unchanging, and unshakable.

If you want to know what God is like, look to Jesus. He is the full and final Word. And because of Him, our sins are purged, our future is secure, and our Savior reigns.

“He upholds all things by the word of His power.”

Worship Him. Trust Him. Rest in Him.

For deeper study or practical application, click here to visit the “What to Do Now?” section on our Devotionals page.