Letter to the Hebrews Volume 31

The Eternal Rest for All of God the Father's Adopted Children Part 4

Hebrews 4:6-7 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Again, He limiteth a certain day, saying in David, Today, after so long a time; as it is said, Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts. KJV

The writer of Hebrews next reminds those Hebrew converts back then of the failure of their ancestors, that is, the majority of the Israelites who were brought out of slavery in Egypt by the goodness and mighty power of God, yet they continued to distrust, disregard, and disbelieve His goodness and power and because of their unbelief they did not enter the physical place of blessing that He had already prepared for them, the land of Canaan. This was then and still is now and will always be a Word Picture of every human being who is presented the Gospel of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ and resist it or rebukes it or rejects it as the only way of forgiveness of sin and a place in heaven through faith in Him. So then, we read these next words of the writer of Hebrews, "Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:" (Hebrews 4:6) (KJV). The idea here is that because those who do not believe are denied entrance into heaven then those who do believe the Gospel message have God's promise of their entrance into eternal life and heaven with Christ Jesus our Lord the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

The Parable of the Great Banquet told by our Lord Jesus Christ is a Word Picture of His compassionate desire to save sinners, "Then said He unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent His servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto Him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his Lord these things. Then the Master of the house being angry said to His servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my House may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper." (Luke 14:16-24) (KJV).

This parable illustrates the multitude, myriad, and many reasons sinners all around the world of every era and generation tell themselves that keep them from truly repenting and believing the Gospel of Jesus Christ for their only way of salvation and the rest found in Him and heaven with Him. This is the reason why saved people share the Gospel of Grace with the world because our Lord wants His House in heaven to be filled. Here is what the Expositor's Bible Commentary had to say of Hebrews 4:6, "This house, or, if you please, this household, are we Christians. We are the house in which Moses showed the utmost faithfulness as servant. We are the circumcision, we the true Israel of God. If, then, we turn away from Christ to Moses, that faithful servant himself will have none of us. That we may be God's house, we must lay fast hold of our Christian confidence and the boasting of our hope out-and-out to the end."

The writer of Hebrews now reminds them how God had made the offer of this very same promise made to the Israelites who were brought out of bondage or captivity in Egypt to the Israelites alive during the time and reign of King David (the time span was over 400 years between Moses and David), which is the same time period those early Israelites (who refused the goodness and power of God then) were held in captivity by the Egyptian people, as it is written here, "Again, He limiteth a certain day, saying in David, Today, after so long a time; as it is said, Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." (Hebrews 4:7) (KJV). King David in Psalm 95:1-11 reiterated the rebellion of their ancestors again warning those Hebrews during his time to not be like those who came out of Egypt but rebelled against God and against His servant Moses. The English word used at the beginning of this verse 'limiteth' is translated by the Greek word horizō meaning to mark out or bound ('horizon'), that is, (figuratively) to appoint, decree, specify: - declare, determine, limit, ordain.

In other words, He (God) defines for every generation of sinners that 'today', that is, right when the message of salvation is brought to you is the time to hear, hearken, and heed the Gospel of Grace and be born again of incorruptable seed, that is, by the Word of God (1 Peter 1:23). Here is what Adam Clarke had to say of this verse, "The term day signifies not only time in general, but also present time, and a particular space. Day here seems to have the same meaning as rest in some other parts of this verse. The day or time of rest relative to the ancient Jews being over and past, and a long time having elapsed between God's displeasure shown to the disobedient Jews in the wilderness and the days of David, and the true rest not having been enjoyed, God in His mercy has instituted another day - has given another dispensation of mercy and goodness by Christ Jesus; and now it may be said, as formerly, To-day, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts. God speaks now as He spoke before; His voice is in the Gospel as it was in the law. Believe, love, obey, and ye shall enter into this rest."

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…