This book of Hebrew is written to the brethren who are going to face trials and troubles.
The writer did not put down his name, so there are many views who are the real writer even in the early church. My dear brother, even the early church also cannot certify who is the actual writer, how about us. Do not quarrel about this; accept the Word of God by faith. Some said the writer is Paul, some said Apollos. No matter who is the writer, his intend of writing is to say, Christianity is higher than Judaism.
1:2, Jesus Christ was giving the revelation.
1:6, “And again, when He bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, He saith, and let all the angels of God worship Him.” These words are not in Hebrew Text.
This is a quotation from Psalm 97:7 and Deut 32:43, found in copies of LXX, Septuagint.
The Hebrew Old Testament has been translated into Greek, by 70 translators, before the Lord has been born in the earth, before the Word became flesh. LXX was there!
The LXX is not a perfect translation, but the writer of Hebrew sees LXX as God’s Word, he read and quoted from LXX, rather than the Hebrew Old Testament, he refers the LXX in writing the Book of Hebrew.
Are NKJV, CUV, NIV, and ESV not God’s Word?
1:7, this verse is quoted from Psalm 104:4, it is in Septuagint, LXX.
1:10-12, these verses are taken from Psalm 102:25-27, they are in LXX.
The writer of the Book of Hebrew sees that LXX is the “Word of God!” even thought it is not perfectly translated.
1:13, this verse taken from Psalm 110.
2:3, the GOSPEL MESSAGE WAS PREACHED AND DECLARED BY JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF. JESUS CHRIST DECLARED the TRUTH! HE DID NOT ARGUE ABOUT WORDS.
2:11, Jesus Christ is not ashamed to call them, “brother,” even Christ united with sinners. Jesus Christ is perfect, but He is willingly to stay with imperfect people like us.
Why Jesus Christ wanted to unite with them? Because they had received the truth. (Mark 8:38).
2:12-13, these words are taken from LXX, quoted from Psalm 22:22, Isaiah 12:2 and 8:18.
2:14, Satan tempted man to fall into temptation, and so they may fall into sins. Sins bring death (Rom 7:11), Jesus became flesh, and He resurrected from death, He had victoriously won over death (1 Cor 15:55)
2:17, Christ became like his brothers in every respect, so that he may become a high priest for them, and even to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Jesus Christ died for his own brothers.
2:18, Jesus Christ is able to help those who are being tempted like us.
3:1-4:13, these are the commentary about Psalm 95:7-11, consider Jesus, think about Him.
3:6, we must hold fast our confidence.
3:7, the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness.” The Holy Spirit says again, in this epistle, in Hebrew 3:15, and 4:7.
Today! This is a warning! Israelites had put God to test, are we?
Testing God with the VPP? Playing with God’s Words!
3:12 do not let anyone fall away from God! Unbelieving heart!
3:13, exhort one another every day! Today!
3:14, hold our ORIGINAL CONFIDENCE FIRM TO THE END.
If the theologians repented, we must restore them into brotherhood, otherwise they will be like the generations in the wilderness.
3:16, there was a generation who heard the message, but rebelled for 40 years, and they all died in the wilderness.
Do not forget!
Even Moses had the perfect Word of God, the 2 tablets of the stones, with God’s perfect Word, but he was refused to enter the Promised Land, Moses was punished. At the end God saved his soul, he was saved by grace.
Are any better than Moses, even to pursue the perfect underlying text!
You intention is good, but what is the profit?
If we do not receive Christ, we will all die in our sins.
Are we any better in reading KJV? Better than those who read NKJV, CUV, and NIV?
Do you think God is only going to choose, and save only those who are reading the KJV!
Are we not sinner? Who are reading the KJV? Like those sinner who read NKJV!
4:2, we all must hear the message by faith.
4:3, come to Jesus Christ today, to find “rest” in Him. (Matthew 11:28-29)
4:4-5, our spirits need rest.
4:6-7, Harden not our heart, there will be no peace, until we repented!
4:11, “spoudazo” speedily!
4:12-13, The Word of God is in the Bible, and the Word of God also in Jesus Christ, (John 1:1-4, 14).
The Word of God is
1.Living and active.
2.sharper than any two-edged sword
3.piercing to the division of soul and of spirit,
4.piercing to the division of joints and marrows,
5.Discerning the thoughts and intention of hearts.
Let the Word of God pierce us.
4:14, Jesus Christ is the Son of God, He is higher than us. He is our high Priest. He “sumpatheo” us, He knew all our sufferings.
5:2-3, that is why Jesus sacrifices Himself for us.
5:7, Jesus prayed with loud cries and tears in Gethsemane? The disciples heard those cries and tears.
5:8, next, He suffered on the Cross in obedient.
5:12-13, distinguishes good from evil. Maturity is a growth from being only a child.
6:1-8, we must continue to move from the foundation, pursue perfection!
These are the beginning of Christianity:
1.repentance
2.trusting God
3.washings or baptisms, (sprinklings or immerse)
4.laying of hands, (healings or ordinations of a pastors)
5.resurrection of the dead
6.eternal judgment
We must continue to grow from these!
Here are warnings for those hearers of God’s Word, they were educated in Christianity, but they are not saved.
Even they were enlightened, they saw the glorious Gospel, but they did not receive the gospel, rather they reject the gospel. They had tasted the goodness of Christ, but they did not take in the Christ into their hearts. Even they were touched and rebuked by the Holy Spirit, but they rejected the Holy Spirit in coming to the hearts. They heard the preaching of message on every Sunday morning, afternoon sermon and night sermon, they said the sermons are good, but they did not believe the messages. They even knew there is an eternal judgment coming, that God will judge the wicked, but they still do not want to return to God.
They are the churchgoers, some of them are the elders, pastors, theologians, they called themselves “Christians,” they had every good opportunities and experiences, but they still run away from the truth. In those harden hearts, God the Holy Spirit, will not work in it anymore. They become the enemy of Christ, they wanted to nail the Christ on cross again.
They are the seeds thrown in the thorn, choked; .its end is to be burned. They lost their salvation forever!
So some will eternally lose their opportunities to believe in Christ, the Savior, and they fall into the eternal hell. They are the fall away. “Methodist is saying that these people, seeker of faith, will lost their salvation forever, because they continue to reject the gospel, this is true, they had not fully receive the salvation in the beginning.”
They are the professor of faith, profess with their lips. Their hearts do not believe in Christ.
6:9, the writer said to the readers, they are called “brethren,” “God is still working in them,” so they are not lost forever like the previous churchgoer and faith seekers.
These brothers are professing with their lips, the Lord as their personal savior, and their hearts also believe the Christ is their Lord and God Savior. They are saved.
6:11-15, the writer gave an example of true believer, Abraham, even though he was not perfect, he had taken wives, Sarah and Hagar, he later chased away the slave wife. Abraham by faith was called righteous. The just must live by faith!
6:19, we had an anchor in Christ!
6:20, Christ is our forerunner of our faith, and He opened a lively and new way for us.
7:5, THE LIVITES ACCORDING TO THE LAW IN OLD TESTAMENT, THEY DO NOT HAVE PROCESSION OF PROPERTY, THEY LIVED BY FAITH. (Num 18:21-24)
7:12-26, Jesus Christ is better and higher than the Levites, human high priest can not save himself, we needed a perfect Priest, the lamb of God, and the Son of God, Christ dies for us even when we are yet sinner. He is our High Priest forever He is praying for us.
8:1, to expound the Old Testament in one verse, the writer said, “We had a high priest, seated on the right hand of the throne.”
8:5, this verse is taken from Exodus 25:40, the wording is from LXX. Greek OT.
8:6, in Christ, we had a better “covenant,” LXX, a better promise. In LXX, the Greek translated Hebrew “covenant”, (Joshua 9:6, Judges 2:2, 1 Samuel 23:18)
Christ came, is to save sinners, descended, crucified, resurrected, He is the OT and NT, He is even better than the Bible. He is the one we must look for after reading the Bible, He is the Perfect Word in fresh, He is better than all the MSS!
Why God preserved all those 5000 plus New Testament MSS? Until man can put them together and translated into the all kinds of languages. Why? So that we may find that perfect way, perfect truth, perfect life, The Lord Jesus Christ. He is better than all the scriptures put together, even the Perfect Bible.
9:1, the writer looked highly the Old Testament! He mentioned the Israelites wondering in the wilderness, and even there was Moses’ tabernacle, Jesus Christ is the better sacrifice, better tabernacle, better than everything, anything on earth.
Why Christ is better, because:
9:12, Christ’s atonement once and for all.
9:14, Christ’s blood purified our conscience, 70x70 purified? It is 100% purified!
9:15, Christ is the mediator.
9:22, without the shedding of Christ’s blood there is no remission of sins. Forgiveness is given because Christ died for us.
10:5-6, Even Jesus was quoted from LXX, He says these words, and actually it is the reading of Psalm 40:6-8, the wording is different from Hebrew Text, nearer to LXX.
Scholar found that in New Testament, there are few hundreds places are quotation from LXX.
The people in Christ’s time, they were using the LXX, Greek translation of OT, rather than referring to the Original Text, the Hebrew Text. They were using LXX rather than Hebrew Original Text. Jesus Christ never rebuked them in using the LXX.
Jesus Said, “even to the jots and titles, the Bible is fulfilled!”
Like the Chinese brother today, usually they will read the CUV, rather than asking themselves to read KJV, or the Hebrew OT, the Greek NT.
The LXX translations are different from the original text, so LXX is different from Hebrew Text. LXX wording is not like Hebrew Text. LXX is translated nearer to the original meaning. (Compared 1 Cor 14:21 and Isaiah 28:11-12)
But the LXX reader at Christ’s time never doubt anything about the Word of God, they sees LXX is the Word of God, and they subdued to the authority of the Old Testament in LXX Greek translation.
Even though there are changes made in LXX, the meaning more or less nearer to the original meaning, (compared Gal 4:30, Gen 21:10)
Sometimes there are word by word translations, literally. (Compared Matt 2:15, 22:43-45, John 10:34, 19:36-37, Romans 4:3)
Sometimes the writer mix the verses together, like (Romans 11:26-27, compare Isaiah 59:20-21, 27:9)
Sometimes they quoted loosely like Romans 9:27 from Isaiah 10:22-23.
Sometimes like Mathew quoting Micah, Matthew 2:6 from Micah 5:2.
The Bible is the Word of God, if there is the truth of gospel, the truth of the Gospel certifies the Word is true, the Bible is inspired!
10:11-14, all the enemies are defeated by Christ in the end.
10:16-18, quoted from Jeremiah 31:33-34.
10:19, by faith, we can come nearer, nearer, closer and closer to God, through Jesus Christ’s blood.
10:23, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for He who is promised is faithful.
10:24, stir up one another to love and good works. This is why Christ die for,..this is why we are called Christian!
10:25, and so we meet together in Christ, we called it fellowship, for encouragement, and not argue about words, we must not quarrel about words, even words from the Bible, we should not quarrel, encouraging one another, instead. The Day is drawing near, there is war and rumor of wars, even wars in our midst, but forget not to encourage!
10:26, there is a warning, who deliberately sinning, all kinds of sins, falling way from the truth, deliberately sinning is including those quarrel about words, wavering, wars in our midst, and those words and things which discourage others.
10:29, those who furthermore go beyond that, quarrels and quarrels, even has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant, by which he was sanctify, and has outrage the Holy Spirit of grace!
How severe is the punishment for those who do those deliberate sinning? The Holy Spirit has not He called you to encourage other from the day He called you into ministry? Did not He has spoke this clearly in the Word of God, and how about we forget this, and we continue until raising wars among us, even split the whole congregation?
When, Moses, Miriam, and Aaron, they were quarrels among themselves, in the wilderness for authority, they dare not to split the whole congregation of Israel. They are one, until King David, he fall into sin, in the time of Solomon, Solomon fell into gross idolatry. Next, the Monarch divided into two, in his son, Rehoboam, (sound like BOMB, 13017713). What lesson we can learn from these people? Spiritually?
10:30, Quoted from Deuteronomy 32:35, another example of different wordings.
10:32, the believers were called to endure suffering.
10:33, sometime they were publicly reproach and afflicted, bad treated. This is also like Christ’s suffering. Inside out, the persecutions, they were called to live beyond life, even death.
10:34, until the plundering of their property, but they knew they had a better possession in heaven. Never mind!
10:35, be confident!
10:38, “the just shall live by faith,” taken from Habakkuk 2:3-4, LXX, and written again in Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11.
10:39, we must believe!
11:1, to live by faith is not easy. Have Faith in God.
11:4, Abel by faith, give offering to God, consider better! Faith is better!
11:13-16, by faith the pilgrims and travelers looking for a better heavenly city.
11:21, by faith, Jacob worship God, “by leaning on the staff”, it is quoted from Genesis 47:31, from LXX.
11:26, Moses looked down on riches and treasures in Egypt.
12:1, run the race ahead, lay aside sins.
12:2, endured the cross, the glory of Christ.
12:3, Jesus Christ had this “antilogia,” contradiction from sinners.
12:4-6, grow spiritually, chasten by God.
12:7-8, God’s children, beloved.
12:9-10, partaker of holiness from God.
12:11, peaceable fruit is given!
12:12, lift up the hands, pray! Leg, go for gospel preaching!
12:13, do not give up, the end of life is eternal life!
12:14, peace with all men, and without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.
12:15, any root of bitterness springs up trouble you? Defiled?
Root of bitterness in my heart, so it grows the tree of bitterness, and bear the fruit of bitterness! It continues to choke my life! And the root spread silently.
Hates, prides, fighting, quarrellings, is growing in me. My family, fellowship and society are troubled, defiled, destructions. May God forgive me!
12:16-17, Fornicator! They are the defectors and disobedient.
When a man becomes a profane person, more than the speech, it is about his life, Esau sold his birth right, and he became “profane,” to treat something sacred as common He treat his birth right as common. And he sold his birth right, exchanged it for food. He even wanted to kill Jacob!
Which is more profane? Treating birth right as common or treating the Word of God as common.
Mistreating God’s Word, it is sinful or not sinful?
My dear friend, so you treat God’s word as common? If so, afraid that, spiritually, you will become like Esau, profane! Not carnal, but profane.
All men are liars? Be honest!
Do you treat VPP as a sacred teaching?
Do you treat something sacred like Chinese Union Version as common?
Do you treat NKJV as common? Do not do that!
Do you treat ESV as common? Do you?
For more than 20 years, a man professing Christ as his savior, as a seeker of truth, he dare not to say that CUV is not sacred, dare not to say Chinese Union Version is common. Even he went on to study KJV, NKJV, NIV…dare not to say they are common, they are treated as sacred! He afraid he is judging the Word of God wrongly. All translations are not perfect.
If you look on that “underlying text,” a TR from KJV, as sacred, as perfect, you must not look down on that CUV as common! It is wrong! Totally wrong!
Esau afterward was rejected, situation was irrevocable. Esau missed the blessing! When he treat the sacred as common! He did not receive grace.
12:18-22, Mount Sinai, and Mount Zion, which one you choose?
Mount Sinai, Moses received the Sacred Stone, the Ten Commandments, and the gift of covenant of law.
On Mount Zion, Christians received the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior, giving covenant of grace.
12:23, there are names written in heaven.
12:24, the Blood of Christ speaks better things.
12:25, God speak from heaven. Warning.
12:26, God shake the heaven! Quoted from LXX, Haggai 2:6.
12:28-29, Since you have received the kingdom (Matthew 3:2), which cannot be moved so Christian must:
1.Give thanks, do not tremble because the hardship now, do not murmur or worry about the suffering on earth.
2.Serving the Lord, in this please the Lord.
3.fearful fear the Lord, they are living in covenant of grace, but God is still a fire (Deut 4:24)
13:1, lastly, Lets brotherly love continues. In Christ’s love we lived?
13:2, entertain strangers.
13:3 do not forget the prisoner.
13:4, respect the covenant of marriage, it is a sacred bond.
13:5-6, do not covet of money. Do not worship money. Be content (Phil 4:11)
God is taking care of his children, quoted from Deut 31:6, LXX. Do not fear man, what man can do on to us?
13:7, some teachings about Christian belief:
1.Respect those leaders who are good in conducts.
2.Jesus Christ is the same every day, forever.
3.Do not follow strange and different doctrines, those doctrines are not profiting, no edification at all, do not follow them.
VPP is a strange teaching or not?
Do not follow them who teach this teaching if you find this teaching is wrong!
13:12, Jesus Christ sanctified His people with His own blood.
13:15, sacrifice of praise is the fruit of our lips. Put away the root of the bitterness!
13:16 do not forget to do good!
13:25, Grace be with you all. Amen.
Thought:
What is Septuagint?
The Word of God is what, in this epistle?
Professor of faith, processor of faith
Without the shedding of Christ’s blood there is no remission of sins
The meaning of “a profane person.”
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