Letter to the Hebrews Volume 114

 We 'the Just' Must Live by Faith Part 6

Hebrews 10:32 But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; KJV Note: MKJV=Modern King James Version

The warning to the then converted Hebrews that this writer of the epistle to the Hebrews declares is the same warning to those of us today and of every era and generation in the past, present, and the coming future (who will spend time in the Word of God) to heed or pay attention to the Voice of God speaking through this man He chose to write His Holy Word through. God the Father warned those (as we just learned in the previous studies/commentaries) who would misuse, misdirect, or mingle with other gods that there remains nothing but His fiery judgement for them. Now the writer of Hebrews wants to exhort, encourage, and embolden the then true Hebrew converts to Christ (we converts to Christ today and again from every era and generation) to remember our regeneration/new birth and steer clear of any representatives of the devil whom he would use to draw us away from the truth of the Word of God, as he writes now with these words, "But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;" (Hebrews 10:32) (KJV). The English phrase 'call to remembrance' is translated by the Greek word anamimnēskō meaning to remind; reflexively to recollect: - call to mind. The English phrase 'after ye were illuminated' is translated by the Greek word phōtizō which means to shed rays, that is, to shine or (transitively) to brighten up (literally or figuratively): - enlighten, illuminate, (bring to, give) light, make to see. In other words, before our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ saved us we were completely blind spiritually to truth. The Holy Spirit immediately destroyed all our rationalizations of what we made to be truth that indeed we learned from God's Word were nothing but lies.

The big one for me was that fornication was not bad or evil and that it was my right as a man to have sex with as many women as I could (I still struggle at times with wanting to fulfill this). The writer of Hebrews is here exhorting us to return to our 'first love' that is our Lord Jesus Christ who saved us and opened our spiritual eyes to Him and His truth in the Bible, just as our Lord warned the Church @ Ephesus with these Words from our Lord documented for us by the Apostle John, "To the angel of the Church of Ephesus write: He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands, says these things. I know your works and your labor and your patience, and how you cannot bear those who are evil. And you tried those pretending to be apostles, and are not, and have found them liars. And you have borne, and have patience, and for My Name's sake you have labored and have not fainted. But I have against you that you left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and will remove your lampstand out of its place unless you repent. But you have this, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." (Revelation 2:1-7) (MKJV).

I never thought of this behavior as being evil or against the very God who created me until I was illuminated by God the Holy Spirit, as it written by the Apostle Paul with these words, "And He has made you alive, who were once dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air (the devil), the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience; among whom we also had our way of life in times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us (even when we were dead in sins) has made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved), and has raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:1-10) (MKJV).

When the writer ends Hebrews 10:32 with these words, 'ye endured a great fight of afflictions', he is speaking of the persecutions that they received from other Hebrews who had not been yet illuminated by the Gospel of Christ and were still living under the Old Testament Mosaic laws and despised them because they had left that system for 'faith in Jesus Christ'. The English phrase 'ye endured' is translated by the Greek word hupomenō meaning figuratively to undergo, that is, bear trials. The little English phrase 'of afflictions' is translated by the Greek word pathēma which means something undergone, that is, hardship or pain; subjectively an emotion or influence: - affliction, suffering. In other words, these Hebrews in hearing the Gospel and being born again and illuminated by the Holy Spirit had undergone many trials, tribulations, and trouble that came from the devil through other Hebrews who were not born again, but still living in and under the religious Mosaic system which they never wanted to believe that Jehovah God had abandoned after sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for the sins of the world. Here is what Adam Clarke had to say of Hebrews 10:32, "It appears from this, and indeed from some parts of the Gospel history, that the first believers in Judea were greatly persecuted; our Lord's crucifixion, Stephen's martyrdom, the persecution that arose after the death of Stephen, Acts 8:1, Herod's persecution, Acts 12:1, in which James was killed, and the various persecutions of St. Paul, sufficiently show that this disposition was predominant among that bad people. A great combat or contention of sufferings. Here we have an allusion to the combats at the Grecian games, or to exhibitions of gladiators at the public spectacles; and an intimation how honorable it was to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints, and to overcome through the Blood of the Lamb, and their own testimony."

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…