Letter to the Hebrews Volume 7

God the Father's Supreme and Final Revelation to Humanity Part 7

Hebrews 1:11-12 They shall perish; but Thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail.  KJV Note: MKJV = Modern King James Version

Look back into the history of humanity and pull out the most powerful men or women who lived and see if any of them were self-existent, that is, did they cause themselves to exist on earth and to continue on the earth. The answer to this is they obviuosly did not because they have all died and each of their bodies (made from the dust of the earth) (Ecclesiastes 12:7) has returned to the dust of the earth from whence it came. So the writer of Hebrews highlights the pre-existence, the power, and the permanency of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ over that of man, the angels, and even the heavens and earth that He created with these next two verses beginning with these words, "They shall perish; but Thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;" (Hebrews 1:11) (KJV). When he writes 'they' he is referring to the heavens and the earth as it now exist in its present form, for as it is written by the Prophet Isaiah, "And all the host of the heavens shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled like a scroll; and all their host shall droop, as a leaf falls off from the vine, and as the falling from the fig tree." (Isaiah 34:4) (MKJV) and also as written for us by the Apostle John with these words, "And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs when she is shaken by a mighty wind. And the heaven departed like a scroll when it is rolled together. And every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him sitting on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of His wrath has come, and who will be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:13-17) (MKJV).

Here is what Albert Barnes had to say of this verse, "That is, the heavens and the earth. They shall pass away; or they shall be destroyed. Probably no more is meant by the phrase here, than that important changes will take place in them, or than that they will change their form. Still it is not possible to foresee what changes may yet take place in the heavenly bodies, or to say that the present universe may not at some period be destroyed, and be succeeded by another creation still more magnificent. He that created the universe by a word, can destroy it by a word and He that formed the present frame of nature can cause it to be succeeded by another not less wonderful and glorious. The Scriptures seem to hold out the idea that the present frame of the universe shall be destroyed; see 2 Peter 3:10-13; Matthew 24:35. 'But thou remainest.' Thou shalt not die or be destroyed. What a sublime thought! The idea is, that though the heavens and earth should suddenly disappear, or though they should gradually wear out and become extinct, yet there is one infinite being who remains unaffected and unchanged. Nothing can reach or disturb Him. All these changes shall take place under His direction, and by His command; see Revelation 20:11. Let us not be alarmed then at any revolution. Let us not fear though we should see the heavens rolled up as a scroll, and the stars falling from their places. God, the Creator and the Redeemer, presides over all. He is unchanged. He ever lives; and though the universe should pass away, it will be only at His bidding, and under His direction. 'And they all shall wax old.' Shall 'grow' or become old. The word 'wax' is an Old Saxon word, meaning to grow, or increase, or become. The heavens here are compared to a garment, meaning that as that grows old and decays, so it will be with the heavens and the earth. The language is evidently figurative; and yet who can tell how much literal truth there may be couched under it? Is it absurd to suppose that that sun which daily sends forth so many countless millions of beams of light over the universe, may in a course of ages become diminished in its splendor, and shine with feeble lustre? Can there be constant exhaustion, a constant burning like that, and yet no tendency to decay at some far distant period? Not unless the material for its splendor shall be supplied from the boundless resources of the Great Source of Light - God; and when He shall choose to withhold it, even that glorious sun must be dimmed of its splendor, and shine with enfeebled beams."

Note: Global warming is not some man made or man created phenomena, but it is the inevitability of a decaying earth because of sin as it is written for us by the Apostle Paul to the Church @ Rome with these words, "For the earnest expectation of the creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creation was not willingly subjected to vanity, but because of Him who subjected it on hope that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. And we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now." (Romans 8:19-22) (MKJV). The universe is an  inanimate object, that is, it is breathless, pulseless, and non-living, therefore it cannot tell you anything or give you anything materially or spiritually, but the One True God (Jesus Christ) who made the universe can and He will hear you if you believe on Him (John 3:18). Next the writer of Hebrews shows the powerlessness of the universe at the same time highligting the limitless power of the One who created the universe our Lord Jesus Christ with these words, "And as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail." (Hebrews 1:12) (KJV). The little English phrase 'a vesture' is translated by the Greek word peribolaion meaning something thrown around one, that is, a mantle, veil: - covering, vesture. The English phrase 'shalt thou fold them up' is translated by the Greek word helissō (used this one time only in the New Testament) meaning to coil or wrap: - fold up.

So, in other words, just like one of us would pull off our coat or jacket or sweater and fold it up and put it in a drawer or on a shelf, the Lord Jesus Christ can and will fold up the heavens with all the many stars and galaxies and many other universes which He created at the time of His choosing. A young boy asked his Pastor, 'Do you believe their are other life forms (aliens) in outer space?' and the Pastor said, 'I do not believe so', but the boy said, 'Why then did God/Jesus go to the trouble of created all that is up there?', and the Pastor said, 'What trouble?', 'He/Jesus spoke and they came into being just that simply and effortlessly.' You see the power of God/Jesus is not understandble to us, for we cannot speak and make anything come into being, nor can we make something from nothing, but that is just what Jesus Christ did and does because He is self-existent and all powerful beyond our comprehension. Here is what Dr. John Gill had to say of this verse, "In order to lay them aside, and make no use of them in the manner they now are; just as clothes, when they are grown old, or out of fashion, are folded up, and laid aside from use at present, or are put into another form. In the Hebrew text it is, 'as a vesture shalt thou change them'; but the sense is the same, for a garment is changed by folding it, or turning it; as to their form and use, not as to their being; for a change, and an annihilation, are two things: which is expressive of the immutability of Christ, in His nature and perfections, in His person, and offices, in the virtue of His blood, righteousness, and sacrifice; and of His duration or continuance, in opposition to the fading and transitory nature of the heavens and earth, and of all outward enjoyments: and this may serve to take off the heart from the one, and set it upon the other; and to strengthen our faith in Christ, and encourage us to expect a continuance of blessings from Him; all supplies of grace now, and eternal glory hereafter."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…