Heb 1:2c …and through whom he created the world.

These days the debate between creationism vs. evolution still rages. Evolutionists claims that it strictly uses science and that creationists mostly rely upon faith. That is a reductionistic presumption. In actuality, the theory of evolution is just as faith-based as creationism. Evolutionists assume/believe that there is no God or even a vague notion of an intelligent designer behind the origin of the world. And they are completely unwilling to alter their assumptions when the evidence is against it. The one thing that that a good scientist does is evaluate all his assumptions in light of the evidence. The fact is that evolutionists have dismissed a substantial portion of the evidence before them: literary evidence. Now literary evidence does not have to be true and can be easily contrived, but that has to be proven, not assumed. Our text in Hebrews 1:2 is a statement to the fact that God created the universe and that He created it through His Son Jesus. This idea is not simply in an isolated text, but one that is dominant throughout Scripture. Just a few of the texts are cited below.

Gen. 1:1    In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Psa. 33:6       By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
And by the breath of His mouth all their host.

Is. 42:5    Thus says God the LORD,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread out the earth and its offspring,
Who gives breath to the people on it
And spirit to those who walk in it,

John 1:3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

Col. 1:16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

This is the second truth about the Son that the author of Hebrews reveals.  It is “through” the Son that God “made the universe.” The “through” (di ‘, δι᾿) preserves the important truth that God is the Creator. But as elsewhere in the NT the thought is that he performed the work of creation through the Son (cf. John 1:3; 1Cor 8:6; Col 1:16). The term rendered “the world” is literally “the ages” (tous aionas, τοὺς αἰῶνας) and has a temporal sense. While the universe may well be in mind (it is the direct object of the verb “created”), it will be the universe as “the sum of the periods of time, including all that is manifested in them.” Some think that the word here (and in 11:3) means “ages,” arguing that it was a Jewish idea that God created the ages. This leads to the idea that God created time. Prior to the God’s creative act, time did not exist. God existed in perfect contentment in eternity past, with no beginning, middle, or end. Time is a description of a progression of events with a definitive beginning and a possible end. Eternity does not have such progression. In the beginning (of time) God existed, with no temporal markers defining His existence. While the creation of time may be part of the picture, it seems that in the context of Heb 1:2 “the universe” makes better sense, though the word may hint at the temporal nature of all material things.

The point is that if the Son created the universe and even time itself, then He also created us and our position in the temporal sequence of events. We should thank God that, through Jesus, He created us and for placing us in this world at this particular part of history. We should not long to live in other time periods. We should be grateful that we are who, where, when, and why God wants us to be.

Heb 1:2b …whom he appointed heir of all things…

Many have asked the question: Who is Jesus? This question can be addressed from many different angles. Some look at His life and see Him as the perfect example. Some look at his death and see Him as the perfect sacrifice. The author of Hebrews opens up his letter by showing us that Jesus is the perfect revelation. He then begins to describe why Jesus is the perfect revelation in Heb 1:2-4. He denotes seven different reasons with seven descriptions. The first is that He was appointed the “heir of all things.” The verb “appointed” (ἔθηκεν) is somewhat unexpected in this context. We would simply presume that the Son would be heir. This may infer an emphasis on the activity of the divine will. God determined that the Son be His heir. But what does it mean for Jesus to be the heir? First of all, because He is the Son, He is naturally the heir of all that His Father possesses. Since the Father owns everything, Jesus also owns everything, since He is the only unique Son.  The term “heir” (κληρονόμον), however, does not refer to entering into possession through the death of the Father. In the NT the word and its cognates are  used in the sense of “get possession of” without referring to any specific way of appropriating the property. In other words, the word points simply to lawful possession, without indicating in what way that possession is secured. “Heir of all things,” then, is a title of dignity and shows that Christ has the supreme place in all the universe. His exaltation to the highest place in heaven after His sacrificial work on earth was done did not mark some new dignity but his reentry to His rightful place.

Now note that Jesus is the heir of “all things.” This would refer to all things “visible and invisible,” all things tangible and intangible, all things, material and spiritual, all things natural and supernatural, all things concrete and abstract, all things intellectual, philosophical, ideological, mathematical, and theological. Thus, no matter what exists, it belongs to Christ. There is no realm where Christ does not touch or possess. All things point to Christ. This means that all we do, we should do to the glory of Christ (1 Cor 6:20; 10:31). If you are an engineer or scientist, do your work to the glory of Christ. If you are a teacher or student, teach and study to the glory of Christ. If you are in finance or business, your deals and transactions should glorify Christ. Christ being heir of all things affects us in every part of our life. Whether we are at work or at home what we do should glorify Him. We should consciously and deliberately point every area of our life to Christ.