The 4 things we know about the recipients of Hebrews.
- They were JEWISH
- They were BELIEVERS
- They were being PERSECUTED
- This persecution had led to DISCOURAGEMENT and SPIRITUAL STAGNATION in their Christian lives.
The purpose of Hebrews.
The author demonstrates the superiority of Christ over the Levitical system in order to urge his readers to move on in maturity and not go back into the old order despite persecution so that they would avoid the chastening hand of God and receive a full reward in the eschaton.
General description of the first warning.
THE DANGER OF DRIFTING (Hebrews 2:1-4)
The author wants them to pay attention to what they’ve heard from the previous chapter (1).
If God brought chastisement to his people for neglecting revelation in the old system, how much greater will the discipline be since a superior revelation would be rejected. (How shall we escape chastisement?)
General description of the second warning.
THE DANGER OF MISSING REST (Hebrews 3:7-4:13)
Unbelief that God would destroy their enemies
The Hebrews are not moving forward because of their lack of faith.
The point is not that they will go to Hell or lose their salvation, but like their forefathers, they will lose the blessing of God; they will miss out on the joy and peace of experiencing everything God wanted to do for them.
The views of “rest.”
- Salvation Rest - the rest & peace experienced by the unbeliever at the moment of salvation.
- Eternal Rest - Also known as “heaven rest,” the toil and weariness brought about by the Fall will be eliminated as the child of God enters the presence of God.
- Millennial Rest - This view argues that the rest has reference to the millennial kingdom and participating in the reign of Christ.
- Daily Rest - This position says that the rest can be a present reality of the believer consisting of peace and blessing entered into by faith and obedience.
General description of the third warning.
THE DANGER OF IMMATURITY (Hebrews 5:11-6:20)
This warning is addressed to true believers who have stagnated into a state of spiritual immaturity. They are being warned that if they do not move on, God may confirm them in their immaturity and they may experience the permanent loss of the blessing of God.
The differing views of the third warning?
Arminian - The warning is written to saved people in danger of losing their salvation.
Reformed - The warning is written to those professing to be saved. When they fall away, this proves their profession was false.
Hypothetical - The warning refers to a sin that is impossible to commit. It is speaking to believers who are wavering and in a state of confusion. “Just think if you could do this, how frightening it would be.”
Immaturity - The warning is written to immature Christians. If they do not move on to maturity, they will experience God’s discipline.
The identity of Melchizedek.
He was a flesh and blood man who lived and died like any other person; however, his life, unknown to him, was a divinely ordained illustration of the person of Christ.
A general description of the fourth warning.
THE DANGER OF WILLFUL SIN (Hebrews 10:26-31)
- The conjunction “for” - this connecting word tells us that the same readers are in view to whom the 3 exhortations were just given.
- Sinning willfully - the text speaks of willful or deliberate sinning. In face the willfulness or deliberateness of the sin appears to be the writer’s emphasis. If they did not take heed to the 3 exhortations then they are sinning.
- No sacrifice for sin - the penalty for willful sin was not eternal damnation but physical, temporal judgement because in most instances there was no sacrifice for willful sin. He tells his readers that if they apostatize from the assembly and go back into Judaism, they are returning to a sacrificial system in which there is no atonement for what they are doing.
- Fearful expectation of judgement - these people are being warned that if they defect back into Judaism, they are going back to and aligning with a generation that is about to be judged.
- Old Testament precedent - These 3 reasons (witnesses) serve to justify the chastisement to come on the one who willfully sins.
- The character of God - deliberate sin brings God’s disobedience.
The 3 Exhortations
- Let us draw near to God - the readers are being urged to come to God and take advantage of their high priest.
- Let us hold fast - this is their call to hold unswervingly to their profession.
- Let us spur one another to good works - (not forsaking/neglecting/giving up the assembling or the meeting of ourselves together). The ones who were forsaking the assembly were these beleaguered Jewish Christians who were abandoning entirely, or leaving Christianity behind to go back to Judaism.
The meaning of “cloud of witnesses.”
In chapter 11, he has just given us a list of people who faithfully endured; he then begins chapter 12 with the connecting word “therefore.” As we rid of those things that would slow us down, especially the sin of unbelief; we will be able to run with steady endurance the race set before us. The Christian life is not one of speed, but one of steadiness.
The meaning of “for” the joy that was set before him.
The readers would understand the point which has been made throughout their Christian lives.
They could stay the course which meant that persecution would continue or they could give up, defect, go back to their old friends and take the easy way so that the persecution would abate.
Jesus had the same option before him but he chose to endure the cross instead of the joy and the ease that was before him.
The interpretive approaches to the book of Revelation.
- Preterist - Fulfilled in AD 70 - the events of the book found their fulfillment in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
- Historic - Fulfilled throughout church history - the events of the book are being fulfilled in church history to culminate at the second advent of Christ.
- Idealist - Symbolic struggle of good and evil - the book portrays a symbolic battle between good and evil.
* 4. Futuristic - most fulfilled in the future during the Tribulation, Millennial, and Eternal State. (Rev. 4-22 awaits a future fulfillment)
The interpretive approaches to the seven letters.
To what time period do these letters belong?
- Prophetic view - they do not believe that the 7 churches mentioned in Rev. 2-3 historically existed, but will exist during the future Tribulation period.
* 2. Historic view - these churches existed in the first century, but have no prophetic significance. - Historico-Prophetic view - these 7 churches did exist historically in the 1st century, but also these letters are prophetic of how church history will unfold.
The meaning of “overcome.”
Overcomer is a reference to those Christians who are obedient to the injunctions in that letter. All Christians in Christ’s kingdom…only those who are faithful will receive the promised reward.
The ability to think sequentially through the book.
Commission for John to write Letters to the seven churches The Lamb taking the scroll from the Father Seal judgments Trumpet judgments Bowl judgments Second Coming Millennium Resurrection of the wicked dead Great White Throne Judgment Eternal state
The 3 Witnesses
- Trample underfoot the Son of God - if one left Christianity for Judaism, they would be showing contempt for the sacrifice of God’s Son.
- You count the blood of the covenant which you were sanctified an unholy thing - an indictment on the (sanctified) defector that they would be treating the blood of Christ as something that is common and really no better than the blood of bulls and goats.
- Insult the Spirit of Grace - If we rebel against God and sin willfully against Him, we insult the member of the Trinity who graciously regenerated us and brought us to see the beauty of the Gospel.
the identity of “the day”
This is a reference to the near destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
These people are being warned that if they defect back into Judaism they are going back to an aligning with a generation that is about to be judged.
Josephus tells us that temples were destroyed, Jewish leaders were crucified, there was a mass slaughter of the people, and an estimated 100,000 people were taken away to the slave markets to work on farms and the gladiatorial games. During the entire war it was estimated that 1,100,000 people perished. Many of these had gathered to celebrate the feast of unleavened bread, while many who fled the city survived.
Josephus said, “neither did any other city ever suffer such miseries.”
