Bible Study

Well, good evening, everyone. Welcome to The Bible Study on Wednesday night. As we continue, Mr. Randy Steiver and I are here to do The Bible Study this evening. My name is Gary Antion. And just to let you know that we have individuals tuning in from all over the world. In fact, last time we had 1,100 people tune in and from various parts of the world. The whole raft of nations are listed here. So we welcome you to The Bible Study this evening, and we hope that you'll find it inspiring and educational and uplifting.

So now it'll give us the opening prayer so that we can ask God's inspiration, Mr. Randy Steiver. Okay, please bow your heads. Our Father in Heaven, we come before you this evening. We thank you for the great blessing of having your word available to us, particularly in the English language, the King James Bible. It has been a huge boon for over 400 years, making it widely available for everyone to read. We thank you, though, that your word is understandable to us. You've opened our eyes and our minds to be able to understand what it is you're teaching, what your plan of salvation is, your great kingdom that is coming.

Now, as we go into one of the books of the Bible, and this evening it's the book of Hebrews, we pray for your inspiration on the teaching, Father, and on the listening, that there will be open minds and open hearts there, listening to the explanation of the passages and the tying in of the other verses that go along with it from other parts of the Bible. Please help us to truly understand what it is you have for us to teach. Give us a sense of balance and a sense of direction and understanding. All glory is yours. We thank you for this great blessing and opportunity to sit and study your word and to learn from it, and we ask your blessing upon this proceeding in Jesus' name.

Amen. Amen. I want to let you know, too, if you're interested in asking any questions, you can just check on screen and see what the address is. I think it'll be on the screen where you can write if you have any questions you want to send to us. We'll try to allow for about a half an hour or so at the end if you have any questions. If not, we'll take more time to expound. I want to just remind you that Hebrews is the nineteenth book of the New Testament, and it's a letter that we believe, written by the Apostle Paul.

Some people say we don't know who did it, but its intent is to show how Jesus Christ and what He brought, the teachings He brought, have replaced what was taught from the Old Testament as far as the way the Jews had been taught and how He has come to replace that with His teachings.

It contrasts in this book many times His teaching versus the way it was done in the Old Testament as far as the temple and a lot of the comparisons that are made. Just so you're aware of what He's trying to do, I'll read a quote from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary. He says, Throughout the epistle the author weaves, and I believe it's Paul, weaves warning with doctrine to encourage his readers to hold fast to Jesus as the great High Priest of God.

And he continues to show from time to time the contrasts between Jesus Christ, the New Testament Christianity, and the way it was done before. Now, I don't believe he's comparing it to Judaism, although he might, because, as you know, Judaism began to add their own do's and don'ts after they went into captivity, and while they had originally had the word of God given to them in the Old Testament, in some cases they began to stray by adding their own do's and don'ts after their captivity, and perhaps even before.

So Hebrews 2, last time our presenters did Hebrews background in Hebrews 1, so we'll start off with Hebrews 2, and we'll begin with verse 1. Therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed. Therefore, considering Jesus Christ and His greatness, considering Him as it speaks about in chapter 1, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. And in some cases it's referring to like a ship that's leaking out, that we let this information just slip through our hands or slip from us, and he says we need to pay attention and give more earnest heed.

Ecclesiastes 5, verse 7, verse 1 says, when you enter into the house or the temple of God, be more ready to hear. So we have to stir ourselves to want to pay attention to the Word of God when it is being spoken or when we are reading it or when we are hearing from it. We have to stir ourselves in that case, and of course God wants us to be doers and hearers. He doesn't say just be a hearer of the law, just be a doer.

He says you need to be a hearer and a doer. A hearer and a doer is important, but you won't have to give heed, listen to it so we can know what we need to do. Verse 2, for if the Word spoken by angels was steadfast, apparently there was a tradition. Now we know that the law, the Ten Commandments, was given by God to Moses.

I didn't see any angels there. But apparently there is tradition, and there are references in the Bible I can cite. Galatians 3.19 talks about the law being given through the mediation of angels. Also Acts 7 verse 53, again, Paul talks about it coming through angels. So there was some, apparently, some history or some lore of angels delivering the law. But we know that when the Ten Commandments were given by God, so he says, for if the Word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, remember what God says, that as you sow, that's what you're going to reap.

So if you're going to sow evil, you're going to reap evil. If you're going to sow good, you're going to receive good. It's kind of the law of reciprocity. Whatever you put in is what you're going to get out. However you live your life is how you're going to be judged and how you're going to receive.

Ecclesiastes 8 and verse 11 is an interesting scripture because oftentimes people say, well, I did wrong and nothing happened to me, or these people were doing wrong and nothing happens to them. Ecclesiastes 8. And if you note this scripture, Ecclesiastes 8 verse 11, he says, the wisest man who ever lived next to Jesus Christ, Solomon wrote, because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily because every time you do wrong, you're not zapped on the spot. Therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil because they're not immediately corrected.

They think they can get away with it. And he says in verse 12, though a sinner do evil a hundred times in his day be prolonged. Seems like he gets away with it all the time, yet surely I know it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him. Though he seems to get away with it. Who's it going to be well with in the end? And in verse 13, but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days. It only seems like it.

Neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he doesn't fear before his God. So that's verse 2. Verse 3, how shall we escape? So if we don't pay attention, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? Hebrews 2.3 is such an awesome verse because it tells us salvation is great. And what are you saved from? Saved from sin, saved from death penalty, saved from, saved eternally, saved from sickness and disease, saved from the troubles and pollutions of this world.

So there are many things you could be saved from, but when he's talking about ultimate salvation, it's talking about the time when we will be changed. The Apostle Paul said that the one thing he pressed toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God. He talked about how he needed to keep himself in check.

He talked about how he as a person hadn't made it yet, but that one thing he did look forward to was that resurrection from the dead. Philippians 2.12 tells us, I'll just cite that for you, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. That you want to make sure you're walking in the right path with the guidance of God's Holy Spirit. No, we can't do it on our own.

No, you can't be just a do-gooder on your own and make it. You need the help of God's Holy Spirit. God's law is not enough without God's Spirit working in your life to help you live that law. The God's Spirit in our lives helps us have the righteousness of God, which is walking according to God's law, but you can't do it by yourself. So we all need God's help and God's strength.

So, again, Philippians 2.12 fits in very nicely there. Let's notice what else he says. Which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by them that heard Him. So Jesus Christ came and what was He offering? He preached the kingdom of God. He preached the righteousness of God. He preached the eternal life that God has to offer to all those. Remember the rich young nobleman came to Him and said, what good thing may I do to have eternal life? He said, don't call me good because I'm not as good as God because I'm still here in the flesh, but, you know, God in spirit.

But if you will enter into life, keep the commandments. So the man wanted to know about eternal life. Jesus Christ pointed him to walk in God's ways and that way you'll be in line with God and God can change you at that time of the end. 1 Peter 1 verse 9 is another scripture I'd like to give in reference to this awesome scripture about telling us not to neglect that great salvation. 1 Peter 1 verse 9, we read this, receiving the end or the result of your faith, even the salvation of your souls, it says in Old King James, or lives.

Because the word soul in the Greek is psuki, which has to do with your life, blood life, life breathing, life, air breathing, creature, even the salvation of your lives. That's what salvation ultimately is about, being changed from this physical life to a spirit being in the very family of God. So that's what that salvation is all about. But I find it interesting too, because at the end here he says, it was spoken by Jesus Christ the Lord and was confirmed to us by them that heard Him.

So He had those who followed Him, because He trained disciples to follow Him. He trained apostles to carry on His work so that they would carry on the Father's business of preaching the Gospel. 2 Timothy 2 verses 1 and 2, we read that He said that we should pass this information on to faithful men.

Notice 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 1, therefore you, my son, be strong, talking to Timothy in a loving, affectionate way, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and the things that you have heard of Me among many witnesses, the same you, commit you to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. So He commissioned His disciples, go into all the world, preach the Gospel.

He trained men to go out and teach as well. And we at Ambassador Bible Center here at the Home Office in Cincinnati are also trying to do the same thing as we try to pass on the knowledge and understanding we've heard as we go through every book of the Bible with them so that they may have an understanding to pass on to others as well. Verse 4, God also bearing them witness both with signs and wonders and with diverse miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.

So the distribution of the Holy Spirit gave to them. Certainly you had Pentecost as a prime example when they all spoke in languages that others could understand. Even one man speaking and many people hearing in different languages at the same time talk about a miracle. Also could refer to miracles in the Old Testament that took place over the years and the many miracles that Jesus Christ witnessed as He performed His ministry healing all manner of sickness and disease, raising the dead, walking on water, calming the seas. All the miracles that were attributed to Him certainly added witness that He was the Son of God and that He was bringing a message for all of us to pay attention to.

Verse 5, For under the angels has He not put in subjection the world to come? Whereof we speak. It's interesting, the world to come. For years we called what we were looking forward to the world tomorrow. The world tomorrow. The wonderful world tomorrow. The time when this world is going to be God's world. Right now it's still in the hands of a spirit being who does not like people very much and does not like Christians very much and does not like Godly folk very much. It's in His hands right now, but one day it will no longer be.

He says, For to the angels He has not put in subjection the world to come? Whereof we speak. And in fact, while Satan now rules 2 Corinthians 4, 4 calls him the God of this world, while he now rules and while he tries to take the truth away from people, one day it's not going to be in their hands anymore. It's not going to be put in any angels' hand. Good or bad angel, because Lucifer was once a good angel. Verse 6, But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the Son of man, that you visit him?

So we know where that is. That's Psalm 8, verses 4-6. Psalm 8, verses 4-6. Then here's, he goes on to quote, You made him a little lower than the angels. And actually the original says, You made him a little lower than God. I checked it in the Hebrew. It's Elohim. And rarely is it used for angels. Rarely. It's used multiple times. I think there was something like 2,500 times it's translated. And I was zipping down through my, through the concordance there, through the, and to see how many times it was like, all I could see was God.

Once in a while it was gods, like the gods, plural Elohim is the word, Elohim. In the original Hebrew, now in the Greek, it is Angelos, which is angel. But in the original, that it quotes from, he actually made them lower than God.

So some say, well, man was made originally just lower than God, but over the angels. But once man sinned, he became lower than the angels. And Jesus Christ came, he's higher than the angel, even as a human being, God in the flesh. He was over the angels, and one day we too will be back over the angels. He's given us that right. So he says, you made him a little lower than the angels, or for a short time, lower than the angels.

You crowned him with glory and honor. Now, I don't know who was crowned with glory and honor. He was actually the first man when he made him before he sinned. And man does have a certain amount of glory and honor, a certain amount of honor that man has of his own right. David said in Psalms 139, I am fearfully and wonderfully made. So there's a certain amount of glory, and certainly human beings have been able to master most of the animals and aquatic creatures as well as birds and so on from the heavens, train them and so on. They've been able to master those. So they have a certain amount of glory, but nothing like the glory that they will once have.

He said, and you did set him over the work of your hands. Genesis 1.26. He says, I've given you dominion over the fish of the sea that they file the air, and all over every animal and every creeping thing. So God says, I've given you dominion, but it's not dominion over everything yet. Although man's trying, isn't he? Sending spaceships out into space, staying out in outer space. Of course, he has to take his earth's atmosphere with him.

He can't really live out there without taking what the earth has for him with him. So he goes on to say, and you've put all things and subjection under his feet. Well, he can do almost anything. For him that he put all things and all in subjection under him, he left nothing that was not put under him.

Now he says, but now we see not yet all things put under him. So God's intention is to have everything under humans' domination, but not yet. Not yet, as long as he's in the flesh. So verse, if not yet, do we see that under him? And of course, Genesis 1, 26-28, you can read that whole section. Verse 9, but we see Jesus, again, not coming back and talking about Jesus Christ, who's the high priest, giving the honor and glory to him, not the honor and glory to the law. The law of God is wonderful and good. But as you know, as I observed in attending a service at a synagogue, the law was really touted.

And I read a commentary that said, what the law is to Judaism, Jesus Christ is to Christians. So he's making this transformation to worship and honor Jesus Christ, not the temple by itself, not the temple or the accoutrements of it or anything else. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, again, for a short time, for the suffering of death. He had to be made so he could suffer death. And why did he have to suffer? You know, the wages of sin is not suffering. The wages of sin is death. Why did he have to suffer?

Take upon him our infirmities, too. Take upon him the sufferings that come with sin. Take upon him our sicknesses, our diseases. He was bruised for our sickness, bruised for our diseases. So he took upon him the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God, and this is interesting, should taste death for every man.

John 3.16, God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son. Philippians 2 says he gave this all up. He was willing to come and become a servant of ours. He didn't find that at all anything to grasp after to be equal with God.

But he gave it all up to come here to be a servant for us and to die for us. It's interesting in Romans 5 verses 8-10, if you want to turn there with me. Romans 5 verses 8-10, we read this, but God commends his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. It wasn't like we were perfect people. Christ didn't come to die for the righteous. Of course, there are none righteous. But he didn't come to die for them. But he came to die for those who were sinners, who could see that, realize they are sinners, repent of their sin, honor and worship him, and follow him.

So he says, much more than being now justified by his blood, which he had to shed, we shall be saved from wrath through him, through his life. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life because he lives. Later on, in Hebrews, we'll find he ever lives to make intercession for us. He loves to go to bat for us. When we make a mistake, when we slip and stumble, when we fall, he likes to be there to say, you know, Father, I know what that feels like, I was down there, I could tell you what it's like, because I lived that life.

He ever lives, I think it's Hebrews 7.25, to make intercession for us. Ever lives to do that. But you know what they pointed out in one of the commentaries in verse 9? That he should taste death for every man. Apparently, when somebody back in those days was either judged that they should die, they offered them a cup of poison. Apparently, they talk about Socrates, and he was called into account for some of the things that he was saying, or his philosophies, or whatever. He wasn't guilty of any of it, according to the source I was reading, but that they brought him a cup of poison, hemlock, in a cup, and he drank it.

He knew he had done his job, he knew he was going to die. So in this case, he tasted death for everyone. Jesus refers to, Please take this cup from me. He said, when he was praying his prayer to God, Please take this cup from me. He told his disciples, Can you drink the cup that I will drink of? In other words, the cup of death. Not that Christ drank that, but in an analogy to say that that cup represented death.

And so here he says, He tasted death for every man. Verse 10, For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things God the Father, and bringing many sons, and the word is huios, but it can be used for children too, but many sons, most of the time it's used for sons, many sons to glory. God wants to bring many sons to glory, not just one son. No, nobody's ever going to be like Jesus Christ. People always say, Well, you have a defective Christology.

If you say others can be born into the family of God and be like Jesus Christ, what am I saying? I'm saying what the Scriptures say. If I say that, all you have to do is check 1 John 3, verses 1 and 2. All you have to do is check Philippians 3, verses 20 and 21.

And you will find that God says we're going to be like Him, but you'll never be Christ. You'll never be from everlasting to everlasting. That's what He is. And He came to this earth and gave up who He was to die for us and then to be resurrected to be given the glory that God has.

So He's going to bring many sons to glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. The word captain there can mean a leader, an author, a source, an originator. It doesn't necessarily mean captain. The Greek word is archagos, A-R-C-H-E-G-O-S. And it means the source, originator, leader, author. That's what it means. All right, let's go on. So make Him perfect through suffering. So Jesus Christ had to suffer. Verse 11, for both He that sanctifies and those who they who are sanctifies are all of one.

And what does that mean? All of one what? Of one father. All of one what? One race. All of one seed. All of one family. All of one blood. All of one nature. They're all the same. They're all going to be processed similar to Jesus Christ who was the firstborn, right? Romans 8-29. The firstborn among many brothers, notice what it says, for which He is not ashamed to call them brethren.

The ones for whom He came to die when they accepted His sacrifice, His death on their behalf.

He's not ashamed to call them brethren because they now call His Father their Father.

And if My Father is your Father and your Father is My Father, we must be brothers.

Or brothers and sisters, right? And so He made of one, sanctified all are made of one.

He says, for which cause? He's not ashamed to call them brothers. Verse 12, saying, I will declare your name to My brethren. He quotes the Scripture in Psalms 22-22. My margin says, I will declare your name to My brethren in the midst of the church.

Will I sing praise to you? And again, I will put My trust in Him. And this comes from Isaiah 8-17.

And again, behold, I and the children which God has given to Me. So verse 13, it's Isaiah 8-18.

You find that as well. So again, just talking about how these are My family, I will declare, I'm not ashamed to declare those who are willing to follow Me. Verse 14, for as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, since the ones that He's calling are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same, that through death He might destroy Him that had the power of death. That is the devil. Now, it seems like when Jesus Christ was preaching, He said, you do err. My Father is not the God of the dead, He's the God of the living.

But after Jesus Christ conquered death, He became the God of the dead and the living, because He'll bring those people and the dead back to life again in a resurrection, either the first or the second, or ultimately the third too, which is not a great resurrection. But anyway, for as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also likewise took part of the same, that through death He might destroy Him that had the power of death. That is the devil. So that's what the devil wants to do. What's to drive people to death, that he doesn't know the plan of God. He doesn't understand that this life isn't what it's all about. That there's coming a time, John 5, verses 28 and 29, and everybody in their grave is going to hear an alarm clock.

In their time and in their order, God will resurrect them. 1 Corinthians 15 talks about there's an order of the resurrections. Revelation 20 says there's a first resurrection, blessed and holy is he that is part of the first resurrection, but after that all those who ever lived and died and never had a chance. So you can read that in Revelation. It goes on to say then, verse 15, and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

My mother was a wonderful lady. She lived till 96, but toward the end of her life all she was doing was defending from death. She was fighting off death. I kept telling her, Mom, live life.

Live life. Don't defend from death. Be positive. Live life. Have a happy time. I'm not just, I'm going to be careful about this. Be careful about that. Don't fight off death. Live life. God wants us to live happily. He wants us to live joyously. But people can be cowed into doing something by fear of death. And you know the disciples, they were beaten. They were willingly beaten after they had turned tail and run when Jesus Christ was apprehended. But because they saw Him, they saw a man who was dead now alive. They said, We can live. Nobody can take eternal life from you. Only you. You can deny yourself of that. But you can't. Nobody will take it from you. Again, in Matthew 10, verse 28. We read this.

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, the life, your life. Now we know the soul can die. Ezekiel 18, 20, 18, 4. Because it's your life. But rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Gehenna, don't fear man who can only take the life that comes with the body.

He cannot take the life that God has for you, which is eternal. And the word soul there is Suki. It does not mean something immortal. Never find immortal soul together anywhere in your Bibles. It means life. Just like in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word is Nefesh. And Nefesh is used for animals. Suki in the New Testament is used as the same similar term to define what they translate soul. And souls can die, as you see here. He can kill the soul. And in Ezekiel 18, verses 4 and 20, says, the soul that sins will die. But what God is saying here, don't ever fear what man can do to you. Fear what God will do to you. Don't be cowed into doing wrong, or being afraid to do good, because somebody threatens your life.

So he goes on to say in verse 16, for verily, he took not on him the nature of angels. He didn't come and say, okay, God, I'll come down. I'll reduce myself. Let me become an angel. I'm still eternal. I'm still spirit. I can still flitter here and there. But God didn't say that. He didn't say that. He didn't want to come that way. He took on him the seed of Abraham, because he was from that particular family of peoples, of course, of the lineage of David, too. And wherefore, in all things it behooved him to be made like his brothers. He wanted to do everything. He wanted to understand what it was like, because God has committed to him all judgment. He wanted to be like his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. Jesus Christ wanted to know what it was like to live life like we are. So it behooved him. And of course, he didn't come with a silver spoon in his mouth, either. Philippians 2 says he became a servant. He became a servant. He was born into a nation that was enslaved as one of the people who were in that slave condition. In verse 18, For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to succor or comfort them that are tempted. So we find in the scriptures, certainly Hebrews 4.15, a few more chapters over, you'll find it says in verse, Paul wrote in verse 14, seeing then we have a great high priest, he's a great high priest, not an average one, that has passed into the heavens Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin, never once did he yield to that temptation. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. He can comfort you, he can save you, he can help you, his sacrifice can forgive you. So it's an awesome comfort and we all need to pass that same type of comfort on to others that Jesus Christ is willing to pass on to us. Because as you have suffered in certain areas, you're able to succor or comfort others who have in a like manner gone through trials and difficulties. So keep that lesson in mind as I turn it over to Mr. Steiver for chapter three. Okay, thank you Mr. Antin. We'll go on to chapter three now and begin to follow along, or follow the train of thought. As we say, we believe Paul wrote this and I've always analyzed Hebrews from the way Paul reasoned. And we'll see in chapter three a classic example toward the end of Paul's reasoning and his effective, inductive use of questions to drive a point home. The book of Hebrews is also, as some commentators point out, one of the greatest Christological books, meaning that it is the study of Christ, Christology. And it describes his attributes and his accomplishments extensively. He is the heir of all things.

Chapter one, verse two, he is the one through whom God made the worlds. Also chapter one, verse two, he is the brightness of God that would be the Father's glory and the express image of his person. That's chapter one, verse three. In fact, chapter one, verses two and three carry out an awful lot of that. Upholding all things by the word of his power, Christ sustains things. Chapter one, verse three. I'm getting down to chapter three here in a moment that just shows you how many different things in this book are extolling the attributes and accomplishments of Christ. He's seated at the right hand of the majesty on high. Chapter one, verse three.

He is better than the angels. Chapter one, verse four. Captain of our salvation. Mr. Antion covered that in chapter two and verse ten. And the destroyer of the devil. Chapter two, verse 14.

A merciful high priest. Chapter two, verse 17. And now finally one in chapter three.

That he is worthy of more glory than Moses, which really introduces an element of the book itself.

It appears that there were many, and we know this from history, there were many of the original members of the Body of Christ of the true Church of God in the first century, which is when this would have been written, were Jewish by background. Paul was one. Classic. You know, he was Israelite of the Israelites. You know, he was with the tribe of Benjamin. But it was Judah and Benjamin, the two tribes that formed the house of Judah back in about 970 AD when Moses, or BC, when Moses, sorry, when Solomon died, and his son, Rehoboam, became king, and there was a division within the country. And the northern ten tribes broke off and formed the house of Israel and Judah and Benjamin and a great part of Levi. But Levi didn't have any land inheritance. Judah and Benjamin formed the southern kingdom of Judah. So Benjamin was a part of that. The reason it was Benjamin is because the city of Jerusalem itself actually was in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. Thus, being the capital city, they allied themselves with the Jews. So, with the Jews from Judah.

The term Jew is derived from Judah. It's simply the first syllable. But there were many, in fact, most of the early church in the early years of the church were Jewish, and they came to recognize Christ as the Messiah. And then it appears, by the time that this book was written, there were heresies floating about, and they were beginning, some were beginning to weaken in their faith of recognizing Christ as Messiah. Pressure from the Jewish society they lived in, perhaps, or whatever it happened to be. They were Judaizing, as Paul used the term sometimes.

They were leaning toward Judaism again, and beginning to discount the messiahship of Jesus Christ. We'll see more of that as we get into the chapter, starting in verse one, then, of chapter three. Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, and the word partakers, is the same word that is used in chapter one in verse nine, chapter one in verse nine, which says, at the end of verse nine, with the oil of gladness more than your companions. Partakers is the same word as companions. So we can then see the connection, even in English, between the two words and why it could be rendered one place one and one place the other. They're very similar words.

Therefore, holy brethren, partakers are companions of the heavenly calling, and the calling isn't to go to heaven. The calling comes from heaven, from where the Father and the Son presently are. There are three heavens in the Bible. There's the atmosphere. We're breathing the first one right now, the first heaven. It's where the birds fly and the jets fly. And then there's the second one, which is this deep space of the universe, where the stars and the galaxies are. And then there's the third heaven, which doesn't have a physical address. It's spirit. That is, the spiritual realm of where the Father and the Son are, where the angels come and go, where the throne of God is, and the carobim are there, with the wings covering the throne of God. We know it's the third heaven. Paul called it that in 2 Corinthians chapter 12. He had a vision. He was in vision. He was in the third heaven. He's not the only one. Apostle John was there. The book of Revelation is all about that. Isaiah was there in vision. Likewise Ezekiel and certain others.

So it is a heavenly calling in the sense that it comes from the Father and the Son down to us.

And he says, consider... Now here we're getting into re-evaluate how you look of Christ. Consider the Apostle and high priest of our confession, Christ Jesus. This is the only place in the Bible where Christ is referred to as the Apostle. So we have the 12 Apostles, and yet there is a preeminent Apostle even above them, because that Apostle is Christ Himself. He holds that position, that title. An Apostle simply is one sent, one who is sent, as if with a message. And Christ is called the messenger in Malachi chapter 3. I think it's verse 1. He is the divine messenger of carrying the new covenant down to earth and the sacrifice for all sin, which is a great part of what this chapter, this book is about. So he is called the Apostle here and the high priest of our confession. Christ Jesus, who, and then going on to verse 2, was faithful to Him who appointed Him, that is the Father, as Moses was also faithful in all his house. So now we suddenly find in chapter 3, and it's going to go on until verse 6, Christ is compared to Moses.

And you think, well, why Moses? Well, because Moses was the most highly esteemed of the great men of old, or virtually the most highly esteemed, most highly esteemed in the sense that the law came through Moses, that Moses formulated Israel into a nation, bringing them out of Egypt under God's direction. So Moses was exalted in the eyes of Judaism. He has always been. And that isn't wrong. He was a great man, you know. You don't want to idolize him, but you know, you can recognize his greatness. But Christ was faithful to the Father who appointed Him, as Moses was faithful in all his house. And you think, what do you mean? Moses was faithful in all his house. That's from Numbers chapter 1, or chapter 12. Numbers chapter 12. Let me just show you what that says. This is the incident where Miriam, the sister of Moses, and Aaron, his brother, were complaining about why does Moses get to make all the decisions, you know? We know what we're doing, too. Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman he had married. This is verse 1.

And has the Lord, in verse 2, they say, has the Lord indeed only spoken through Moses?

Has he not spoken through us also? What Miriam and Aaron overlooked is that God hears everything they say. And suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, come out here, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting. So they came out, and the Lord came down in the pillar of a cloud, and he stood at the door of the temple, and he called Aaron and Miriam, and they both went forward, and he said, Here now my words. I think we can tell by the dynamics and the example here that the Lord God of Israel, who was Jesus Christ before his human birth, was actually very put out.

Put it in mild terms with Aaron and with Miriam. 2. Here now my words, if there is a prophet among you, I the Eternal, which is about the best English word we can make out of the tetragrammaton, which is the capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D, and I the Eternal make myself known to him in a vision. I speak to him in a dream.

So if I'm going to communicate something, I communicate through dreams and visions with my prophet. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. Then I speak to him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings. And he sees the form of the Eternal, because Jesus Christ before his human birth would manifest himself to sit and talk as a man talks to his friend with Moses in the tabernacle of meeting. So now we come back to Hebrews, and we look at the dynamic that is the issue that's being addressed. Moses was also faithful in his house. Moses was the very, very faithful of all the leaders of Israel as a nation. However, verse 3, for this one, Hebrews 3.3, referring to Christ, has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses. So Judaism exalted Moses, but Christ is worthy of more glory than Moses by far. That's why this is called Hebrews, because it's written specifically to address these kinds of issues that were built into the Jewish question of questions that they were asking, or that the doubts in some cases that they were having, as we'll see.

For this one has been counted more worthy of more glory than Moses in as much as he who built the house has more honor than the house. So who built the tabernacle?

You know, the tabernacle itself existed. Moses oversaw the construction of it, but God made everything. You know, Jesus Christ, who is the one who created everything, created everything that went into the house. Obviously, he is far greater than Moses.

In verse 4, for every house is built by someone, but he who built all things is God.

He who built all things is God. Moses didn't create the skins, the stones, the gold, the wood that went into the construction of the tabernacle, which was a portable temple that served the purpose of worship for Israel for centuries until Solomon built a stone temple.

And Moses, verse 5, indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant.

In fact, when you go back and you read about Moses, he is called the servant of the Eternal. Moses is the servant of the Eternal. And finally, Joshua, as Joshua was maturing after Moses had died, eventually Joshua got to be called Joshua, the servant of the Eternal, as well. But Moses was called that all along. Moses, the servant of the Eternal. So, Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as a son over his own house. You see, Moses was a servant. Christ was the son, the son of God, the son of the Father. Whose house we are, so the tabernacle is compared here when you follow along the imagery of this passage here, is compared to the true Church of God. It is the temple or tabernacle of God today. Whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. In other words, we've got to hang on to the faith that we have received, the faith that was once delivered to the saints. Rejoicing and hope firm to the end. And now, when it says firm to the end, it brings to mind the scripture that Jesus himself stated, rather, in Matthew 24 and verse 13. Matthew 24 and verse 13 for reference. But it simply says there, he that endures to the end the same shall be saved. It isn't good enough to have once believed, oh, I used to believe the truth. That's good enough. I used to. No, it isn't a use to religion.

God's way of life is a way of life. The way of life. It's supposed to be the way of life to the end of our lives or to the return of Christ, whichever comes first. So we have here, then, in these verses so far in chapter 3, we find that Christ is far greater than Moses was. Far greater.

Moses was Christ's servant. Before Christ's human birth, Moses was his servant. Moses was the member of the family of God that Christ was the member of the Godhead that Moses sat and talked with in the tabernacle of meeting face to face as a man talks to his friend. And he could see, Moses could see the form of Christ manifested. Now we come to verse 7 here in Hebrews 3. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion. Now, the Holy Spirit is the under-inspiration. What we have here is a citation from Psalm 95, this section. Most modern copies of the New King James and other Bible translations will typically put the Old Testament quotation in italics when it's a large section of it.

And if it's poetry, which the Psalms are poetry, it'll be set in more or less a poetic style.

Today, if you'll hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion. This is an inspired psalm. All the psalms in the Bible were.

In the day of trial in the wilderness. I'll come back to rebellion and look at verse 8 again in a minute, but let's just get the gist of this whole passage through verse 11.

Today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested me, tried me, and saw my works forty years. Therefore, I was angry with that generation, and said, They always go astray in their heart. They have not known my ways, so I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest. It's God speaking in this particular psalm.

Some of the psalms gave voice. God would inspire the psalmist, whether David or Asaph, or one of the other psalmist that composed the psalms, David composed the bulk of them. He would inspire them occasionally to speak in his voice, to write it as if he was speaking. Other times, it was the psalmist himself who was speaking. How love I thy law. For example, in Psalm 19 and Psalm 119, and David was writing that, that's David speaking, but here it is God speaking.

Now, let's look at the rebellion that is being talked about in verse 8. Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. You look back, if you would, to Exodus 17.

Exodus 17. Israel had just crossed the Red Sea. They weren't very far out into the wilderness of Sinai. All the congregation of the children, verse 1 of chapter 17 of Exodus. Then all the congregation of all the children of Israel set out on their journey from the wilderness of Sinai, according to the commandment of the Lord, encamped in Rephidim. But there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore, the people contended with Moses. Give us water that we may drink.

And we thought, well, you know, they were thirsty. Well, there's more to the story, as we see.

So Moses said to them, Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the eternal? Why are you tempting God? And the people thirsted there for water, and they complained against Moses.

Why is it you brought us up out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?

It seems to me if the Israelites would have saved their breath, it wouldn't have been quite so thirsty. But they were, this is the way they behaved. So Moses, in turn, cries out to God, to the eternal, saying, What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.

And that's a pretty urgent prayer. And the eternal said to Moses, Go before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, that would be the Nile, and go. And behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb, and you will strike the rock, and water will come out of it that the people may drink.

So he was going to perform a miracle. He was going to provide water for them.

And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. And then he called the name Masa, which means tempted and maribah. Most often it's referred to as maribah, the waters of maribah, which means contention. Those are the Hebrew words, masa and maribah. Tempted and contentions. They tempted the Lord and they contended with Moses. Because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us or not? You know, if God's really God, then he'd provide us water.

See, they were taunting and challenging God. Don't ever do that. That's really, really dangerous.

So going back then to what we read from Psalm 95 here in Hebrews chapter 3, when it says, Do not in verse 8, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. In the Psalm itself, in the book of Psalm, Psalm 95, that word is maribah. It became the name for, you know, became synonymous with rebellion because they contended with God and with Moses too.

So God saw them for 40 years. They complained and Moses tried to lead them.

But he said, he goes on in verse 12, well, I wanted to point out something before I get to verse 12. Let's go back down to verse 10 and 11. Therefore, I was angry with that generation, and said, They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known my way. So I swore in my wrath they will not enter my rest. And that generation, the older generation that went out with Moses in the Exodus, crossed the Red Sea, wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, they wandered until they died. Because of their rebellious attitude, God told them that they would die in the wilderness and they would never go into the Promised Land. Now, when we look at verse 11, then, he says, So I swore in my wrath they shall not enter my rest. The rest was God's reference to inheriting the kingdom of Israel, inheriting the land, the Promised Land that he would give them.

The Promised Land is not just the nation of Israel, because Abraham was promised a lot more than that. He was promised all the earth. You know, and really the universe as part of the family of God, ultimately, as the children of God. But to inherit God's kingdom is the intent here. They will not enter my rest. In their case, the rest was for them, the Promised Land, the physical Promised Land. But the intent of my rest, as you go through the book of Hebrews, in fact, refers to the kingdom of God. Well, now we come to verse 12, and it says, Beware brethren, verse 12 of Hebrews 3, Beware brethren, lest there be any of you, have an evil heart of unbelief.

When you know God and you don't exercise faith, you're rebelling. I mean, look at the Israelites as our example. They knew who God was. They saw the plagues that he miraculously unleashed on Egypt and freed them. They saw that over and over again, but they didn't believe that he could give them water. You could turn the Nile to blood. You could open the Red Sea so you walk across dryshod.

You could do all those other things, but you couldn't give them water.

Would you like ice cubes with that? Remember, he did give the Egyptians hail. Really bad hail.

I don't think they'd want that. But an evil heart of unbelief, quite frankly, to lack faith is to be tampering with evil. Now, maybe that puts a little more of a sober cast on it. Oh, my faith is weak, you know, but God understands if I go in sin. No, no.

That's an evil heart that you've got to get rid of. Call it what it is, and this is what it's called in the Bible. In departing from the living God, beware lest any of you have an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God, the Jews who had been called to the faith, the true faith of Jesus Christ, recognizing Christ as Messiah, some were trying to walk away from that.

Some Gentiles were starting to adopt the Jewish ways. That influence was a problem Paul had to contend with often as well. In verse 13, but exhort one another daily. In other words, stir each other up. Encourage each other while it is called today, while you have the opportunity, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Well, how is it deceitful?

You know, isn't it better to be more Jewish than Christian? It's an argument that goes around.

That was the philosophy of of Judaizing. That's why Paul had to contend with, when I say contend, I don't mean contend like Israel has contended with God, but he had to face off against some, even in the ministry in his day, who believed that Gentiles had to become Jews before they could become Christians. And that was the big argument about the issue of circumcision in Acts chapter 15. The whole chapter was when that was resolved or theoretically resolved, but it continued on. And we have today, we have sometimes Jewish type thinking that enters the church. I'm reminded of one of our ministers, Newsom Sabbath keepers, whose beliefs are very much like what we have in the United Church of God from the Bible. But they didn't understand the annual Sabbath, the feast days, the annual holy days. And he asked them about that, and they said, well, you know, we had some people who were interested in those some years ago, and they started out, they said Jesus is our Savior. And when they went and began to keep those days, they come back and say, oh, Jesus was a carpenter. Essentially, what they did is they adopted Judaism. They begin to disregard Christ as their Savior. And they made the same mistake. And yet, some, I think, think that, well, if I was just more Jewish, I should look into how the Jews do things. Only up to a point. They don't recognize Christ as the Messiah. And that's a serious, serious issue. Their minds aren't open. Ours are open to the truth of God. So to go backwards isn't good. It wasn't good then. Paul was dealing with it here. And it isn't good now. Sin is deceitful and can cause us to devalue Jesus Christ. One of the heresies that we see float around the church periodically is what is called in the doctrinal studies, Arianism, essentially the idea that Jesus didn't exist before his human birth, or at least was created. There are two variations. One, that he didn't come into existence until his human birth, which would make him a created being and not a member of the Godhead. Number two, that he was one of the angels and then became the Son of God by being born of Mary.

Neither one is true. But that's a heresy that devalues the divinity and the messiahship of Jesus Christ. For if we have become partakers of Christ, in verse 14, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said, today if you'll hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. Notice how that one gets repeated. So we have those in Paul's day, those who had been Jews and called to true Christianity, they needed to remain in the faith, their confidence, steadfast to the end. Now we come down the sort of the home stretch here in verse 16. And here's what I think is classic Apostle Paul's reasoning process. For who, having heard, rebelled? In the example we've just talked about, the Israelites rebelled. Indeed, was it not those who came out of Egypt? Say, who rebelled? Was it not those who came out of Egypt? He answers a question with a question. Paul, of course, as I pointed out, was Jewish, and sometimes this is said to be a Jewish technique. An old Jewish gentleman was once asked, why do you Jewish people always answer a question with a question? And his response was, why not? Makes you think. Well, Paul was making them think, too. Who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not those who came out of Egypt? Led by Moses? Well, that was the Israelites. Oh, yeah. Now, with whom, verse 17, was he angry for 40 years? And then he answers the question with a question. Was it not those who sinned whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And they did. Thousands of them, and ultimately an entire generation, died in the wilderness and buried in the sands of Sinai. And to whom, now here's the third question before he answers it with another question, and to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest but to those who did not obey? So they will not enter his rest, and that for them was a promised land. For us, it's beyond the promise, just the promised land itself, but the kingdom of God, it's in the spiritual existence of the kingdom of God. They would not enter his rest because they didn't obey him. So we see that they could not enter, that is, enter God's rest, and that becomes a theme in chapter 4, meaning the promised land and the spiritual fulfillment of it being the kingdom of God. They could not enter God's rest because of unbelief. They did not believe. They lacked faith, active, dynamic faith. So again, as a summary, chapter 3 is showing that Christ is far superior to Moses, and then we began the proof that Christ and what he has done for us and for all is far superior than Israel itself. And that theme actually goes on into chapter 4, which will be covered in a future Bible study.

Okay, I have a question. If anyone has any other questions out there, would you like to voice it?

Hold on to that until I finish the one here, and then we'll take from the audience, too. So I have one question in front of me, a written question sent in, and it says, thank you for taking our questions. I have a question about the spirit of God's, and since Pentecost is coming up soon, that is the Feast of Pentecost, I thought it might be a good time to ask my question, though here's the question. Is the spirit of God, A, given to believers in portions or measures such that you either have it or you don't, or B, given in varying amounts on a daily basis as needed, or C, a combination of the two? So he acknowledges in here, according to King James, that God only gives his spirit, God gives his spirit without measure to Christ. But if you check the italics, you'll find that is not in there, and I checked several other versions, which I have the New Testament and several versions here, and it does not, in any of those other versions, say, to Christ. It just merely says, John 3.34. We might just turn there before I explain more. Did I just lose this? I did. Unfortunately, my time I live, this is coming up. Okay, I'll try not to move, try to sit very still. John 3 verse 34. I'll read out of several translations out of King James, it says, He gives the spirit by measure to him.

The to him, if you'll notice, unto him is in italics. RSV, right, Revised Standard Version, says it is not given. It is not by measure that he gives the spirit. So God doesn't say, you get a cup full, and you get a thimble full, and you get a gallon, and you get a half gallon, and he does not say that. For he gives the spirit without measure, is the New American Standard Version. And another one puts it this way, God does not give the spirit sparingly. God does not give the spirit sparingly. So let's answer the question, because on the day of Pentecost, God gave his Holy Spirit. And what were the disciples? Did they receive only a small portion?

It says they were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were filled with the Holy Spirit, Acts 2.

And verse 1, Acts 2. And verse 4, we find on Acts 2 verse 1, it is the day of Pentecost.

Acts 2, 1, when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place, verse 4, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. So it wasn't given by, okay, I'm going to give you a little bit here, a little dabble, do you, so this little bit here, a little bit there. God wasn't doing that. God said, I'll fill you. You find other scriptures that talk about the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. Now let me ask you, when you go to a fountain to drink water, do you drink until your thirst is satisfied, unless somebody's pushing you to get out of line quickly? But when you normally stand at a fountain to drink, and you go to a fountain usually because you're thirsty, you go to a fountain to drink water. Do you usually drink until you've had enough? Yes. So what do we see the Holy Spirit likened to? Jesus Christ likened it to rivers of living water. He told the lady at the well, the Samaritan lady asked her for a drink from the well, and she said, you a Jew asked me a Gentile for a drink? And he said, if you only knew what Jew this was, you would ask me, and I would give you water that you would never thirst. She said, you know some special well around here? Isn't this well good enough? All of our forefathers have drunk from this well, and you have a new well? You know where to find it? Where is that well? And he said, the water that you drink, you'll thirst again. But this water, you'll never thirst again. And he talked about rivers of living water. Rivers of living water. Now where do we get that living water? Jeremiah 17 verse 13. Jeremiah 17 verse 13.

We read this, O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake you shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters. John 7 identifies those living waters as the Holy Spirit.

Living waters. So when you go to a fountain to drink, you drink until you're full.

Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 16. Ephesians 5 and verse 16 we find in this particular segment, Ephesians 5 verse 16, where the Apostle Paul is writing to the Church of Ephesus. He's saying, look, don't be spending a lot of time around wine. Be not drunk with wine. We're in his excess, but be filled with the Spirit. Now, does everyone at his or her particular stage of growth as a Christian, does everyone need the same amount of the Holy Spirit in their lives?

I believe that new babes in Christ probably have a small tank. I don't know if I'm going to try to put it in a physical way. Have a small Holy Spirit tank. But why? Because they're new Christians. They don't have as much yet that they're aware of that they need to overcome. They're just newly baptized, totally cleansed, not having to fight and resist and overcome as much. So God fills them. Everybody gets filling. But I think as you grow in God, you receive more. You're always able to receive more. God doesn't say, well, you're just going to get this amount. You drink until you're full.

But some people don't maybe need as much because maybe they don't have as much in their lives that are complicated. And when people have trials and difficulties, more, I believe, is available to them as they need to drink.

So he talks about Ephesians 5, 16. Be filled with the Spirit. Yes, sir.

Ephesians 5, 18. Sorry. Thank you. Ephesians 5, 18. I'm looking at 16.

I'm saying 18. I'm looking at 18 saying 16. Thank you. Ephesians 5, 18. Be not drunk with wine, wear an excess, but be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5, and wrote Ephesians 5, 16. Here, wrong. Acts 4, verse 31 also shows another example where Christians in the early days were filled with the Spirit. So it doesn't sound like God was just giving them a little bit or giving them a little portion. It says they're filled. They received as much as they needed. Jesus Christ talked about the most precious gift you could ever receive. Over in Luke, where he talked about He gave the Holy Spirit to them. If you as a Father know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will our Heavenly Father give the Spirit to you? And I don't think He gives you a little tiny part of it. He gives you as much as you need. Ephesians 4, verse 31. And when they had prayed, these disciples were new, new Christians, and when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. So it seems like God wants us to be filled with that Spirit. The Apostle Paul talked about the supply of God's Holy Spirit. Philippians 1.19. He said, I know everything will be good for me because of the supply of God's Holy Spirit in my life. And that has a read that to you from, again, many translations, 26 translations. This is called the New Testament from 26 translations by Zondivan. It has different ones. It doesn't use all 26 for every verse, but does share some of the ones with us. But verse 19 puts it this way. The giving of the stored wealth of the Spirit instead of the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the other one is, and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. So the supply of God's Spirit, which is inexhaustible. God's Spirit is there. The one thing about God's Holy Spirit, it must flow out of us. We can't cork it up. It's not intended to be a stagnant pool. It's not intended to be a stagnant lake or body of water, but rather it's likened to rivers of living water that flows into us from God, the fountain of living waters, and flows out of us as we do good works, good deeds, as we bear the wonderful fruits of the Holy Spirit, as we resist sin, as we overcome sin, and as we live the Christian life. It gives us the mind of Christ. It helps us to look at things as He looked at them. It helps us to bear the beautiful fruits that He would have us bear.

So how do I see this? Well, yes, some people have God's Spirit, some people don't. How do you have God's Spirit? Repent, be baptized, Acts 2.38, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. That's what it says. And how's that done? The Bible talks in Acts 8 verse 17, laying on of hands, one of the basic doctrines of the church. Can God give it without the laying on of hands? A couple of exceptions. He surely did. The Apostle Paul talked about individuals who were converted. Peter talked about, he said, can anybody forbid water baptism? They'd already received the Holy Spirit before that time. So, in the Gentiles. So, again, can He do it? Yes. But what is the normal way? Acts 2.38, repent, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

And does God give it by measure? I don't believe so. It's available to be filled. As much as you want to drink, and how do you drink it in? The more you're close to God, the more you soak it up. That's prayer. That's Bible study. That's obedience. That's walking with Him. That's thinking like He does, doing like He does. You absorb that Holy Spirit from God. You go to the fountain of living waters, and He gives you as much as you need. Not, oh, I'm going to give you a little this much today. You can have a sip today, but you can't have a full. As much as you want to drink is what you can have. The fountain of living waters. Comments, Mr. Stiver? Anything on you? No, nothing in particular. Do you want to forge ahead with a couple more verses in chapter four? You're welcome to start in.

Well, since we have a little bit of time left. Well, we have a couple questions here. Oh, question. Okay, sorry. You could take this one. If it's an easy one, I'll take it.

Okay, yes. In chapter two, the latter part of verse 14, it says that through death, He might destroy him that had the power of death that is the devil. Is that an indication that the devil is going to be destroyed? The term destroyed, we do not believe spirit will be destroyed, but could be rendered powerless. And I haven't checked that Greek word, I'm sorry. I should have checked that one out. The power of death that destroy him that had the power of death, I believe it will be talked about. It is expressed as rendered powerless, destroy him that had the power of death. Okay, let me see. To bring to nothing, my margin says to bring to nothing as opposed to destroy. Is it Matthew 2036? Let me see if I have it right. Is it Luke 2036? It talks about angels cannot die. Right. Also, just to add something in it, when you talk about the devil receiving his comeuppance and end of the age, Revelation talks about that. When the devil who deceived him was cast into the lake of fires in chapter 20, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. He was cast into the lake of fire in a geographical spot where the beast and the false prophet had been cast early in the millennium. Well, they can't be tormented day and night forever and ever if they're killed. Angels are immortal beings, and so the devil has been foisting off on the mankind with the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. And then, in ever burning hell fire, he's been foisting off his own fate onto the minds of humanity. But he's an immortal being. He is destroyed in that his power is destroyed. He has no influence over the family of God or the family of man, ultimately. Luke 20 verse 36, neither can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels. So angels don't die. Right. And what was Lucifer but a fallen angel.

So God will render him powerless, will reduce him to nothing, but will not destroy him. As you know, he's going to come back again after the thousand years are finished to do a little bit of a handy job for God. And then he'll be banished. Other questions? Any questions from out here?

Okay. I can start in on Hebrews 4. I'll take a couple verses. You can take a couple verses.

Hebrews chapter 4 verse 1, after talking about they couldn't enter because of unbelief, let us, therefore fear lest the promise of being left of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. So how do you come short of his rest?

If it's just going to come every week. So here he begins to blend and you'll see both the Sabbath and the wonderful world tomorrow, the kingdom of God. He uses one for the other.

The one thousand year period, he uses the time of rest, but he also uses the Sabbath here too. So the Sabbath is going to come no matter what. So here he's talking about the millennium too. For unto us was the gospel preached as well as to them, but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. He talked about them not having unbelief. You could preach good news to them, but they're not going to understand it nor discern it if they don't have the faith to accept it. So he said the message was preached to them. They didn't quite grasp it. Verse 3, for we which have believed do enter into the rest, as he said, the rest here, and as it is in all these verses, comes from the word in the Greek kataposon, and has to do with rest. He says, for which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, as I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest. Again, talking about the rest that God is going to give to the whole world when he brings peace to the earth, when he comes to establish his kingdom upon the earth, when the nations that have caused the problems at the end time will be put down. He says, if they shall enter into my rest, although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. So he says, I have done my part. I have created what I needed to do, but nonetheless, these people have not. But verse 4, for he spoke in a certain place of the seventh day on this way. Remember, God rested, and God did rest the seventh day from all his works.

Now, interesting in verse 9. If you skip down to verse 9, I'm not going to read all of this because another question has come in, and I'll allow time for that.

But notice down in verse 9, he says, there remains therefore a rest. The Greek word there is not catapossum. The Greek word there is sabbatismos, a keeping of the Sabbath. My margin even puts it this way. There remains therefore a keeping of a Sabbath to the people of God. So he uses the term rest, he uses the term Sabbath to depict the wonderful rest that's going to come when God's kingdom is here during that millennial time when God will be ruling this earth. So I'll stop there, and I'll give Mr. Diver a chance to finish. One other tidbit that you just reminded me of that I neglected to mention in going through chapter 3 is using the term rest for Israel, the Israelites coming into the Promised Land. They rested from their conquest and their journeying, and they had come through their destination. And so they could rest. They could start to rebuild their society and settle in and be at peace. Unfortunately, Israel being what Israel was, they weren't always at peace, but it was a physical rest from what they had all been through. Now, the question that came in, actually we addressed a great deal of it, but somebody was really quick on the draw and writes this. I hear in the Church of God circles that some believe demons can be destroyed in the same way humans are who are judged can be destroyed, no longer existing. And it continues, I have grown up believing Satan and his demons would face eternal punishment but not death.

Hebrews 2 uses the word destroy, which we just had to question about and we addressed.

And then she looked it up in Strongs, and what destroy is, it's number 2673, cateregial, which means to render entirely idle, useless, figuratively or literally, abolish, cease, cumber, deliver, destroy, do away, become of no effect, to fail, to loose, to bring to naught, or to put away, vanish away, make void. But it doesn't mean today. It also can mean put away, and in essence, that's exactly what God does with Satan. When his judgment has come, he is put away. He is removed from the presence of God and man and no longer has the power to do all the destructive things that he's been given. So the final comment is, which is accurate? This does not sound like death to me. Do we still stand by the belief that demons do not die? Well, we stand by what the Bible teaches, and that's what the Bible teaches. Let me read to you two from the 27 translations.

Several of them, the American Standard Version, says he might bring to not him, bring him to nothing. Another one, in order that by death he might render him powerless. Another one, he might put a stop to the power of him. Another one, so that through death he might break the power of him, and he might neutralize the one. That's another translation. And then another one, by good speed, says in order that by his death he might dethrone Satan and devil. Another one has paralyzed him, and another one, so that in dying he might crush him. So you can see that it's not talking about killing him or destroying him, wiping him off completely, but rather rendering him powerless and unable. Any other comments or questions from the audience? Any other thoughts?

Okay, I think we will probably end early tonight. We've taken you over a few times, and we certainly want to thank all of you for tuning in, and we wish you a wonderful week, and in two weeks' time, Mr. Myers is here, the two weeks' time, we'll have another twosome up here to bring more information and inspiration from the book of Hebrews. Good night and Godspeed. Good night, everybody.