Acts 22:17-21 "And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; 18. And saw Him (the Son, the ascended Lord) saying to me, Make haste, and get quickly out of Jerusalem; for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me. 19. I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on you: 20. And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting to his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. 21. He said to me, Depart: for I will send you far hence to the Gentiles."
Now this was unheard of! A lot of people just can’t get that through their heads, and we know they can’t. They can’t believe that Jesus never had a ministry to the Gentiles during His first visitation. Someone was just sharing with me that in their Sunday school material, there was something about Jesus going to Gentiles. No, He didn’t go to Gentiles, and He was careful that He never did, except in those 2 exceptions, He even told the disciples not to go to the gentiles as it was not in the proper timing of God, because this mission was left to the Apostle Paul to take care of. So from the words of the Son, what did He say?
Acts 22:21b "…Depart: for I will send you far hence to the Gentiles."
That was totally unheard of, that was a whole new beginning. Now let’s come on over to the Book of Galatians chapter 1, and let’s just jump in at verse 11.
Galatians 1:11-12 "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. 12. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, (by man) but by the revelation of Jesus Christ."
What does that mean? The Son spoke to the Apostle Paul. The Son was not speaking through the prophets, but rather through this apostle. It is the Son Who is now speaking. Now come on over to the Book of Colossians chapter 2, and to pick up the flow, let’s pick up at verse 8. Now remember as Peter admonished us, that the Apostle Paul’s writing is Scripture, it’s the Word of God. And we can just sink your teeth into it and rest on it. So Paul writes:
Colossians 2:8-9 "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9. For in Him (in Christ, in the Son) dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."
Isn’t that amazing? And oh, that’s hard for people to see. How can it be? Because He was manifested in the flesh as God, and He went to the cross as God. How many people realize that the hill on which He was crucified was of His creation? How many people realize that the wood of the tree on which He was nailed, He created that tree. How about the Romans that drove the spikes, He created them. He’s the Creator of everything, and oh it’s so hard for people to see this, and yet He has spoken from that ascended place in glory now through this apostle, who is lifting Him up in the Epistle of Hebrews now as "Son."
Now coming back to Hebrews chapter 1 for just a little bit. So this same God that spoke in the Old Testament, this same God is now speaking through His "Son," His title. And we have to understand Who He is. He’s not just the carpenter’s son, He’s not just Someone Who was martyred, He’s not Someone Who simply wasted His life and was crucified, but rather He is the Eternal Creator, Son! We’re going to see how that when He was raised from the dead, He just literally exploded with the power of an Endless Life, the likes of which the universe has never seen. Even the power of creation does not compare with the power of His resurrection. And oh, let’s never lose sight of that. So this same God Who spoke through the Old Testament prophets:
Hebrews 1:2a "Has in these last days…"
With Christ’s first advent, His suffering, His death, His burial, His resurrection, and His ascension is the One Who is speaking to us today!
Hebrews 1:2a "Has in these last days (that is the period of Christ’s first advent. Those were the last days according to all the Old Testament prophecies) spoken to us by His Son, (remember there is no "his" in the original. So it should read, Has in these last days spoken to us by) Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things,…"
Now just stop for a moment. We think we’re all guilty of just reading so fast, that we don’t read. What does it mean to be appointed heir? Well, they get everything. We know we like to read of the heir of some wealthy corporation, or the Vanderbilt family, or the Rockefeller's and we’ll read of their great wealth, and it always says, "They’re the heir of so and so fortune." So we’re well acquainted to what it is to be an heir, but we see the Triune God again, the Father, Son, and the Spirit, have in unison made the Son the Heir of everything. Now let’s go back to the Book of Philippians chapter 2, and this again says it all in a different light than even Hebrews.
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