Shema

CHAPTER 27

THOU LORD DIDST FOUND THE EARTH - Heb 1:10

Return to INDEX  Back to Previous Chapter ARROW Forward To Next Chapter ARROW

"Thou, Lord, didst found the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of thy hands; they will perish, but thou remainest; they will all grow old like a garment, like a mantle thou wilt roll them up, and they will be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years will never end." (Hebrews1:10-12)

This is another verse which has been incorrectly used to support the Doctrine of the Trinity. It is alleged that because the verse flows directly on from verse 9, it refers to Jesus as "The LORD" who created the earth. From there another big leap is made to conclude that Jesus is the same person as the LORD (Yahweh), and is therefore part of a triune "godhead". However as we shall see, that conclusion flies in the face of other Scriptures which clearly identify the Father of Jesus as the ONLY TRUE GOD, and Jesus as someone else who is NOT that God.

The problem is quickly resolved if we realise that between verses 9 & 10, the author of the Hebrews has CHANGED THE SUBJECT without explicitly saying so! Verse 9 is about Jesus. Verse 10 is NOT about Jesus, but about Yahweh, who alone is truly God. (John 17:3) We are left to work that out for ourselves, by referring back to Psalm 102:25-27, from which he has quoted. Be a Berean! Check it out! (Acts 17:13)

The Psalm is a prayer for help in the midst of affliction. It is clearly prophetic of the sufferings and distress of Jesus, as he hung on the cross. In this prophetic aspect, Jesus is NOT the LORD who is the creator who laid the foundation of the earth, but the one saying the prayer. This is completely consistent with many other Psalms which also draw a careful distinction between the LORD, who is the only true God, and Jesus as someone else.

Returning to Hebrews chapter 1, we should be able to see that the REAL intention is NOT to establish that Jesus is God, but to draw a careful distinction between God and Jesus. It is obvious in verses 1-3 that God is NOT Jesus, but the one who now speaks to us THROUGH Jesus, in the same way that He once did through the prophets. He is NOT Jesus, but the God whose glory Jesus REFLECTS. (verses 1-3)

- In verse 4, We see that neither is Jesus an angel, but one who has BECOME greatly
   superior to angels.

- In verses 5-6 Jesus is identified NOT as God, but the SON OF GOD, whose relationship
   to God is thus uniquely and completely different to that of angels.

- In verse 7 the status and role of the angels is defined.

- In verses 7-8 Jesus is contrasted with the angels, when He is identified as the Messiah
   (the anointed one) of the OT prophecies.

- And in verses 9-12 the writer shifts the focus again, this time to point us to the LORD
   (Yahweh) as the everlasting author of the grand scheme of creation and salvation.

Finally, in verse 13, the conclusion is:
To what angel has HE (the LORD just identified in verses 9-12) ever said - "Sit thou at my right hand?" This verse is of course another direct quotation from the Psalms ..... this time from Psalm 110:1. There Jesus is again clearly identified, NOT as the LORD (Hebrew Yahweh), but as "my lord" (Hebrew adoni), the one who now sits at the LORD's right hand, awaiting the time for His return to rule over the Kingdom of God on earth.

Read the discussion about the identity of the two DIFFERENT "lords" in Psalm 110:1, in Chapter 15.

Return to INDEX  Back to Previous Chapter ARROW Forward To Next Chapter ARROW