GOD CONFIRMS HIS WORD
Friday – July 21, 2017
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior from Patti and me. We welcome you all back to our Bible Study from the Book of Hebrews. Today is Friday and I have not only written this but displayed a beautiful country Church building located at Kittery Point Maine to remind us all to pray for the Church, not the buildings, but the people. Now to our Bible Study. First our primary text in Hebrews.
Hebrews 2:3-5 (KJV)
3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?
5 For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.
A life of signs and wonders, miracles, and manifestations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the Truth on display for all to see. This is to be as natural to us as getting up and brushing our teeth or driving the car to the market. Now let’s turn our attention back to our secondary text in Mark.
Mark 16:15-20 (KJV)
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. (Bold added by Dr. Wood)
The early Church at least in part, actually did as the Lord Jesus had commanded. They went as lights for the world into the pillars of society to which the Holy Spirit directed them. They spoke the Word of God and God confirmed His Word with signs following. Notice in the King James Version that the word ‘them’ is in italics meaning it was not in the manuscript but added by the translator for continuity or clarity. With the ‘them’ in place it makes it seem as though the Lord was confirming them but that is not the case, He confirms His Word. We see a similar situation in Hebrews 2:4 where the translators added the word ‘them’ when it was not in the manuscripts. So, taken in context God works with and confirms His Word of this great salvation not the one speaking the Word. Remember that Jesus is the Word and when the Father confirms the Word He is confirming the Son.
I realize I have spoken at length about Hebrews 2:4, however, we must dwell on this Truth, we must make it part of us. The truth of the matter is that almost no one has signs and wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit on display in their lives. We get little glimpses from time to time, a spark here and there, a flash, perhaps a small fire, but where is the fire that transforms individuals and whole regions of a country, even a whole country.
Let’s once again turn our attention back to our text in Hebrews and focus on the fifth verse.
Hebrews 2:3-5 (KJV)
3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?
5 For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.
The writer again by the inspiration (leadership of the Holy Spirit) of God returns to the idea of comparing angels to the Son and the exceeding superiority of the Son. The tendency to worship angels was apparently common at this time and likely has its origins even in the original creation of Genesis 1:1. The Apostle Paul refers to this angel worship in his letter to the Colossians.
Colossians 2:18 (KJV)
18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
Notice the phrasing of Hebrews 2:5 says that God has not put the world to come in subjection to angels but to the Son. This phrasing does not preclude that there have been worlds which were in subjection to angels. The Scripture suggests that at least one creation between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:3 was in subjection to angels with Lucifer being the head or archangel. Lucifer however wanted to move from being in charge or having dominion to being worshipped above God and you know how well that worked out for him and the one third of angels who sided with him.
Until our next publication, I speak blessing into your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
Numbers 6:24-26 (KJV)
24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
CONTACT E-MAIL: pastordavidwood@gmail.com
MAILING ADDRESS: 3 Rosswood Green Lane, Unit Two, Oakland, Maine 04963
