By R.B. Shiflet
“But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:8-14)
The superiority of the Lord Jesus Christ is proven by many evidences, but verses 8 through 14 in this first chapter of Hebrews call attention to several that cannot be contradicted. God the Father calls our attention to them in clear, unmistakable terms. We see first of all:
- His DYNASTY
His right to the throne of His father David. “But unto the Son He saith, ‘Thy THRONE, O God, is forever and ever.'” The Lord Jesus Christ is the only living person who can prove His right to the throne of David. His ancestry is traced in two inspired records in the Word of God, and He alone has the right. Today, He sits with the Father on His (The Father’s) throne, but one day He will return to the earth in power and great glory to sit upon the throne of David.
- His DEITY
The same clause in verse 8 is evidence of His DEITY. “Thy throne, O God …” God the Father is here addressing His Son as “God.” John MacArthur, Jr., in his New Testament Commentary, Hebrews, states:
Here is one of the most amazing and important statements in all of Scripture: Jesus is God eternal! Those who say Jesus was just a man, or just one of many angels, or one of many prophets of God, or was but a sub-god of some sort are lying and bringing upon themselves the anathema, the curse, of God. Jesus is no less than God. The Father says to the Son, “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.” God the Father acknowledges God the Son. I believe this verse gives the clearest, most powerful, emphatic and irrefutable proof of the deity of Christ in the Bible—from the Father Himself.
From other parts of the Bible we can prove that Christ, Himself, claimed this equality with the Father (John 10:30; 5:18; 10:33). Thomas, the doubter, was convinced of His deity and cried out, “My LORD and my GOD.” The Apostle Paul bore witness of His deity when he wrote “whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, Who is OVER ALL, GOD blessed for ever” (Romans 9:5).
- His AUTHORITY
The Sceptre speaks of authority or power. Here we read “A sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom.” He Himself is the Righteous One—He is OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, and the constitution of His kingdom will be based on uprightness. This is a quotation from the Psalmist David which the Holy Spirit confirms is fulfilled in Christ. Revelation 2:27 foresees His righteous reign, when He shall rule with a rod of iron.
- His ANOINTING
“Thou has loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore, God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.” The first Old Testament office that required anointing for entrance was that of PRIEST. Details are given in the book of Leviticus as to the anointing of the priests. The PROPHETS were also anointed for their special services. When the monarchy began, the KING was anointed. Yet God’s law forbade the priest to be a king, or the king to intrude into the priesthood. Two examples are given of kings who tried to do the work of the priest and both were punished severely. They were King Saul and King Uzziah. However, the Lord Jesus Christ is the Antitype of all three. He alone is PRIEST, PROPHET and KING. This is another evidence of His superiority over angels. The only angel that I can find who was said to have been anointed was Lucifer, “the anointed Cherub” who fell to become Satan.
- His PERMANENCE
Note the expressions in this passage that speak of His eternal existence. We read “forever and ever” (verse 8); “Thou remainest” (verse 11); “Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail” (verse 12). Dr. John Phillips expresses it majestically in these words:
A billion, billion years from now the Lord will still be sitting upon His throne, deathless in His energy and force, presiding over the destinies of yet unborn worlds and ages. What a contrast with the decaying and obsolete Judaism from which the Hebrew converts had made their way! Everything there was temporary, preliminary, and probational. These Hebrew believers had found the Christ, the Son, the deathless, ageless, changeless Son of God.
- His POSITION
He is again contrasted with angels and proven to be their superior. Whereas the angels are ministering (serving) spirits, He is the Son sitting on the throne as co-equal with His Father.
