“But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”

This seems like a short verse, but that is deceptive. There are three major considerations in this short verse that must be understood before moving on to verse three. We will need to take the time to unravel each consideration so that it makes sense based on verse one and the rest of the book. We do need to get these first two verses positioned in our thinking as we move forward.

The last days is a term we see frequently in the scriptures. At one point, we were pointed towards them, but here we are put right in the middle of them. The writer wants us to know that the long-awaited “last days” are here in his present day. So many things were promised for the last days. One of the major expectations was the coming of the Jewish Messiah. We will not be surprised to find that the Messiah has come since the last days are in play.

In these last days, God has chosen to speak to his people again. Not in various ways at many times by different sources. No, this time, in the last days, God communicates with his people through his Son. Directly and for one period, God spoke through the true Word. The Word became flesh, John tells us, and one of the reasons the Word did so was to make the word of God known to God’s people. God had a new message, and it was so important that it could not be sent by prophets but needed to be delivered by God himself. God became a man that he might speak directly to his people and tell them about the new covenant he was making with them.

The latter part of this verse tells us who the Son is by identifying him as the one promised and the one who promised. All that was set in motion for mankind was done so by the creator who was the Son, and all that was set in motion will end in the Son who is the heir of the promises of God. This tells us that what is coming up in this letter/essay is important because it is directly from the Son and the New Covenant.

Task for Today: Think about the fact that you live in the last days, which means that you are now subject to the message brought by Jesus rather than one of the prophets of the Old Testament. This is a new message that was promised as being written on hearts instead of stone. A good place to begin today is to say, “I will listen to the words of Jesus.” Perhaps you could start by reading all the words in red if you have a red-letter New Testament. If not, read the four gospels as starters. That way, you will have the words of Jesus and the words of God about Jesus. A good place to start.