Herbert W Armstrong

   Now, we've been going through one of the little-understood books of the Bible, the one that tells where Jesus Christ is now, what he's been doing for 1900 years. Where has Christ been? What's he been doing? Has he had anything to do, or has he just gone way off? And is he perhaps off in heaven playing on a harp in idleness and ease somewhere?

   You hear a great deal about what Christ did for 3 1/2 years of his ministry. We hear a great deal about a dead Christ hanging on a cross once a year. We hear something about a resurrected Christ, but we don't usually get any meaning out of it or know what it means for us. But, my friends, that covers a period of about 3 1/2 years. What about the 1900 years from that time on? Why don't we hear more about that? What has he been doing?

   Now, we have almost finished this book of Hebrews, which tells about the ministry of Christ as he has been on the job in a ministry for 1900 years and what it has to do with you and your life now because it has a great deal to do with your life right now. Now, let's just take a real quick review of the ground that we have covered. First, in the first chapter, it starts out with God the Father and how he, in times of old, had spoken to us, and unto the Father is back there by the prophets. And of course, he speaks to us by them too because it's written in the scriptures. But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son Jesus Christ.

   And then in the third verse (Hebrews 1:3), it goes on to explain that Christ is the express image of his Father's person, that he upholds the entire universe now by the word of his power because as Jesus had said after his resurrection to his disciples, he said, "All power in heaven and in earth is given unto me." All power had been given to him. We read in Ephesians and in other places that God created all things by Jesus Christ. In the first chapter of John, all things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made.

   Now, after he had given all of that up and had been born to the virgin Mary as a human being and had died for us and been raised from the dead, now he is glorified, and all power has been given unto him. Now, he is the pioneer of our salvation, as we're going to see as we go along. But all power has been given to him. He upholds the entire universe. He keeps the galaxy, the Milky Ways, and even this solar system of ours operating according to law by his power.

   And then again, dropping down just a little more here, the fifth verse (Hebrews 1:5), unto which of the angels did God say at any time, "Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee"? Angels have not been begotten and then born as real born Sons of God. But Jesus Christ is God. He is very God and is born to be God in the family of God by a resurrection from the dead, as you read in the first chapter, I think it's the fifth verse of Romans (Romans 1:5).

   And then again, when he bringeth in the first begotten end of the world, now we can be begotten spiritually as Sons of God, not in the same way that Jesus was as a flesh-born human being. We've been born of the flesh and we are flesh, but we can receive the spirit of God and be begotten that way for the birth that comes through a resurrection or an instantaneous change at the second coming of Christ into the Kingdom of God. He was the first; we come later, the first begotten into the world.

   And he said, let all the angels of God worship him, let all the angels of God worship him. Now, what is the connection between angels and us? And what do angels have to do with you and your life? Now, for the past four or five programs, I've been dealing with angels, and I think it's the first time that most of you have ever heard anything in the way of a sermon or lecture or anything of the kind, explaining and expounding the truth about angels and what they are and where they came from and what are they like and why are they and what's their purpose?

   I still have a little more than I want to say in the present program on that. Of the angels, God said verse seven (Hebrews 1:7), the first chapter who maketh his angel spirits.

   Now he's quoting that, of course, from the 104th Psalm as I read it to you, and his minister is a flame of fire. Angels are spirit beings. They're higher than man. They're not as high as Christ because let the angels worship him. He is worthy of the worship of the angels. But under the sun, Jesus Christ showing his preeminence over angels, showing how much higher he is now than an angel under the Son who is Christ. God says, "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy Kingdom, notice he has a Kingdom. Therefore, he is a King and a ruler. He has power, he has authority, he has the power and authority to sustains and keeps in motions, every force, every power in this whole universe.

   Now, there's a little about angels here in the last two verses of the angels in verse 14 (Hebrews 1:13-14). Are they not all ministering spirits? They're spirits, they're higher than we are, but they're ministers. A minister is a servant and one who serves so they are servants sent forth to minister for them who shall be the heirs of salvation. Now, Christ has salvation and we are his heirs. The new covenant. The New Testament is the last Will and Testament of Jesus Christ. He has died. We are his heirs. He bequeathed to us everything that he has and that is all power in heaven and in earth because it has all been given to him. We then are the heirs of salvation. Christ is so great that he is worthy of the worship of angels. Angels are much higher than human beings than we are now.

   Now then continuing in the second chapter (Hebrews 2:1). Therefore, we ought to give them more earnest heed to the things that we have heard. Lest at any time, we should let them slip, for if the words spoken by angels were steadfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense and reward. A third of the angels sinned. A third of the angels turned in rebellion against God and God's government. Now, angels, as I've been showing you, are part of the very government of God. They are the servants, superhuman spirit, subordinate beings, servants of God. In the government of God, there are angels up in the throne of God surrounding the throne of God. God can send angels here to the earth anywhere to carry out his mission, but they're spirit beings. And as such, you don't see them, you can't hear them or feel them or anything of the sort.

   So, a scientist knows nothing about an angel. All we know about angels is what you find revealed in the Bible. So, if you want to know whether it's true or not, all you have to do is to prove and you can prove it whether or not the Bible is inspired by a supernatural creator God who knows. A God of intelligence, who is telling the truth. Now if the Bible and is the truth. And if it tells the truth and if it is inspired, then you must believe what it says about angels and you can prove whether or not that is so. One of the greatest proofs is fulfilled prophecy in the Greek, in which the New Testament was written. There is a perfect pattern of sevens running all through it in every complete sequence of thought, the words and even the letters are always evenly divisible by seven. And it is worked out in such a pattern that all of the literary men and writers in the world could not have written the New Testament of the Bible in 1 million years and worked out in the pattern in which it's worked out, that shows it is not of human writing. It is of divine authorship. There are many proofs answered, prayers are proof, but the skeptic has never had a prayer answered. So that wouldn't prove it to him. But fulfilled prophecy is one thing that the skeptics cannot get around and they refuse to look at, so we can prove it. And therefore it is the word of truth. Jesus Christ was asked, what is the truth? He said, "Thy word, that is speaking to God, the Father, the Father's word is truth." And that's what the Bible is.

   Now, if the words spoken by angels were steadfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, how shall we, we mortal humans on this earth, escape if we neglect so great salvation? Very few people know, and most people, I think, think they're going to get to go to heaven and look on the face of God and perhaps play on a harp and just lie there in idleness and ease forever, and they think that would make them happy. It would be the most boring thing in the world if you had to be filled with idleness and ease with nothing to do.

   And as for looking on the face of God, my friends, unless a great change comes over you, you could never stand it to look on the face of God. You couldn't do it and live. You'd faint at the first flash of a look on the face of God because his face shines with a brightness as bright as the sun in its full splendor and glory. And if you were close enough to see God, it would put your eyes out. You're a mortal human eye. So a change has to take place in you before you ever see God, and you better wish for that change or else you better wish that you never see Him.

   Now, very few people know what our great inheritance is. How great is the salvation that has offered us? I want to tell you, my friends, mankind has lost the real gospel of Christ. It's about time we reclaim it. These mysteries of God that have been hidden and veiled. They're open now. God's time has come that you can know if you want to know.

   Now, continuing on verse six here in the second chapter (Hebrews 2:6), then he says, "Now, what is man?" He's quoting from the Old Testament again, but asking this question, "What is man that thou, God, aren't mindful of him or the son of man that thou visited him?" Here's man, a little tiny speck down on this little earth. If you get up in an airplane, as I've mentioned about 18 to 20,000 ft up, and you can't even see a man. He's become such a little speck. He's even vanished from sight. How insignificant are we?

   Did you ever go up through the redwoods in California? And if you ever did, did you ever notice how you shrink and those great giant trees up there and how little you are after all? You know, I want to just recommend to all of you people in other parts of the United States that you try to plan a vacation, come out to California, stop on the way and visit the campus, the beautiful campus of Ambassador College, but drive up through the redwoods, it will whittle you down to your own size when you see how those great giant trees tower way up there, how big the trunks of those trees are.

   You know, they look just like other trees. They're shaped just like any other tree, but they're just so much bigger that all of a sudden you get the illusion that the trees aren't any bigger. It's just you have suddenly gotten smaller and you're just such a little bit of an ant down here. So insignificant. You know what is man that God would be concerned about us?

   We don't occupy very much space. Then he goes on to tell why God is concerned about you and me. Now as you are right now, my friends, you don't amount to very much. Now, I don't care if you're the greatest multimillionaire in the whole world. You don't amount to much because you aren't going to take it with you. A friend of mine that I've known now for well, ever since we have come to Pasadena and established the College Ambassador College in Pasadena, who was a neighbor of ours, a multimillionaire and has been reputed to be the wealthiest man on the Pacific coast.

   I don't know how much he was worth. He told me himself, he didn't know either. He was the heaviest stockholder in the United States Steel Corporation that has been reputed to be the biggest corporation on the face of the earth and he was its main stockholder. He says, "How much is the United States steel worth today on the market? And how much is it tomorrow? You have to keep up with it and a lot of other things." He was the owner of about 65 corporations and trusts. He was the owner of the largest fruit ranch, I think in the world and he died, now, as they say, he didn't take all that wealth with him. In other words, it's left behind. He had amassed a great fortune. I've heard that he was worth 6 million, 11 million. That's the lowest I've ever heard. I've heard he was worth as high as $335 million.

   Well, even he didn't know what he was worth, but he was a multimillionaire. Go back in the book of Ecclesiastes in your Bible. There was Solomon who was a very wise man and a very wealthy man, and he didn't withhold anything from himself to see what he could get out of this life. And he taxed the people. He was the king. He was able to make himself wealthy by taxing his whole nation, spending it on himself if he wanted to, he built great public works and everything else.

   He said that all there was in life. It was just like reaching out and grabbing a handful of wind. That's about all there is in much in this life. I don't care if you're the greatest multimillionaire in the face of this whole earth. You're mighty little as such, not a one of us amounts to much as we are. But my friends listen to this, potentially, potentially, you have no idea how great you are. You are so much greater. Every one of you potentially, if you want to yield to God's purpose than you can possibly dream that your mind can't conceive it.

   Listen, what is man that thou, God, aren't mindful of him or the son of man that thou visited him? God does. Christ has been busy on the job 1900 years serving man, little insignificant man down here. Why? Because of our potential possibilities because of the very purpose for which we were put on this earth, thou madest him a little lower than the angels. Now, we're a lot higher than any animals. We have a mind by God. Animals, don't they just have instinct? And we are just a little lower than angels. And angels are pretty high in their spirit beings, but we're lower than they are now.

   Thou crownedst him with glory and honor and did set over him the work of thy hands. Now, next, now, do you get the full impact of that? Listen, the next verse eight thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet (Hebrew 2:8). Do you get the impact of that? Listen, back here, it said that Christ, the express image of the Father's person, God, the Father upholding the entire universe is the correct translation. If you've got a different translation than just the King James, the entire universe by the word of his power, Jesus Christ has been given power and authority over all things.

   All power is in his hands and we are co heirs with him to inherit what he has. That's all power, that's what it is. And we are co heirs to inherit that with him, he is merely the first born of many brethren. We are to be glorified even as he is, we are to share that great power with him. Can you understand that? Do you know that Jesus Christ? My friends has the power in one second to cause every human being on this earth to drop dead. Jesus Christ has the power to blow up this whole earth. He isn't going to do it. Don't worry about it, because if there was any danger that he would do such a thing, God almighty would never have given him that power.

   He could never be given the tremendous power he has until he had qualified, even as a human mortal being on this earth, until he had proved that he would use that power according to the will of God, the Father and that he would never abuse it, that it would always be righteously perfectly used. And you're never going to qualify to share that power with Him until you can qualify to handle, to control, to direct the great powers of this universe. What is man? God says here, thou hast put, in the word of God, thou hast God the Father has put all things under subjection under his feet.

   But now he goes on to say, For in that he put all in subjection under him. And that's man, that's this little insignificant mortal man, all things under subjection in our feet in that he has put all in subjection under him. He left nothing that is not put under him, he left nothing, nothing that means what it says. That's in the Bible, that's the truth that is directly inspired from God Almighty. And I can prove it. There my friends is the very aim. There is the very objective of the whole gospel. You're never going to hit higher than you aim. And if you want to know what is the aim, the purpose of the Christian life. That's it right there.

   I say to you that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been buried under a rubbish heap of pagan superstition for about 18 and one-half centuries.

   My friends, open your Bible, and the proof of it is there. It was not of my making. I certainly had nothing to do with it. I'm not bragging that I'm the only one that knows the truth. That isn't it? Anyone can know the truth or will. God says, "Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet." Now, back to the first chapter of Genesis, do you notice that what he put under subjection to Adam back there. Wasn't to all things, not at all.

   Let's just turn back to that for a second real quickly. So in the 27th verse of the first chapter of Genesis (Genesis 1:27), God created man in his own image, but he created man out of the dust of the ground. He didn't put all things under his feet. He created man out of the dust of the ground, as you find in the next chapter in the seventh verse. But here in the 27th verse of the first chapter in the image of God, male and female and God blessed them. And God said unto them, "Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it and have dominion over all things." Oh, no. Oh no, not the mortal Adam back there in Genesis. He wasn't given dominion over all things.

   Have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. That's all just a living other creatures that are lower than man on earth. That is all you have been given any power authority over now. But my friends under the New Covenant, under God's plan of redemption, under God's plan of salvation. Let me tell you that redemption isn't a matter of just repairing the damage that the devil did in the fall of man. Most people think the devil sneaked in when God wasn't looking and managed a great big wreck of God's masterpiece man, that man was created perfect. He was physically perfect, but he was a physical being and everything that you find that God created that you find described in the first chapter of Genesis was physical, that was a material creation and it was perfect, but it was material and it was only the matter, only the material with which to begin the spiritual creation which is now still going on.

   God isn't through creating. God is still creating. Jesus Christ has been on the job these 1900 years still creating and he isn't through yet. All he finished creating was matter. Now he's creating spiritual beings, spiritual characters out of you and me. Now then through God's spirit entering into us when we're born again, not as the first Adam, you know, as we have borne the image of the earthy, the first Adam made out of the earth, earthy and out of the ground we shall through Christ, bear the image of the heavenly. You better wake up to what Christ did for you. You better wake up to what Christ means for you because you haven't even grasped the first little scintilla of it.

   Listen, here's what it means. We've been made a little lower than the angels, but God has tentatively put all things into subjection under man's feet. But that's when we are born again in the Kingdom of God. When we are glorified, even as Christ was when we like Christ have entered into the Kingdom of God and God is that Kingdom. Now in God's government, we got a lot of pictures. For instance, we see something of the way the government of this whole world is going to be run in the happy world tomorrow. When Christ comes and sets up his government, Christ, Jesus will be the King of kings ruling over all the nations of this earth. Listen, for in that he put all in subjection under him.

   That's everything he left nothing that is not put under him. Well, now what's the answer? You don't have all things under your foot, do you? Now, the next verse explains it. Listen, but now at the present that is now, we see, not yet, oh, there's the word yet. Not yet. All things put under him, not yet all things, but we see Jesus, here's what it wants us to look forward to. Listen, we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death that was in his mortal human existence on this earth. And he died and he was made lower than the angels. Why for the very purpose of being able to die? He was made mortal because an immortal can't die. Now, we see Jesus now crowned with glory and honor than he by the grace of God. He's crowned with glory and honor now. And he upholds the whole universe by the word of his power and all power over everything in heaven and earth is given to him and we're to share it with him so that all things are to be placed in our hands and under our power.

   Now, we see Jesus crowned now with glory and honor, that he, by the grace of God, should face death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, by whom are all things, because he originally was the one that God the Father used in the creating of all things. We see him in bringing many sons. Oh, we never called angel sons, but you and I can become very sons of God, very sons of God, just like Christ is, he's merely the first begotten, the first born of many brethren.

   Now bringing many sons unto glory. Christ, in that glory, has a face that shines with the full strength of the sun. He has eyes that are like planes of fire. He has all power in heaven and in earth. And we're to be brought to that glory. That is if we are Christians, many sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvation or the pioneer, as some translations have it. Well, he's the captain of the team, but you and I can be on that team or he is the pioneer of that salvation. He has gone on ahead. He is already glorified. He already has all power given to him. Then again, it is his will and testament and he died as a human, and we can inherit everything he now has and share it with him. That's what your Bible teaches to make him perfect through suffering.

   Now, you see how great Christ is, is trying to show you how great he is and it is showing you here the great potentialities of the human being. Oh my friends is the thing you're doing and spending all your time on, is important after all. There's only one thing that's very important in your life. And that's to learn the very truth of God, that's to learn the objective, that's to learn the purpose for which you were put on this earth to become a son of God to share with Christ all that power and all that glory. But Jesus Christ was never given that kind of power, that kind of glory, and that authority until he had demonstrated that he could take it, that he would use it wisely, that he would not abuse it. And you will never be given it until you prove the same thing. What a great gospel. No wonder he said, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? I don't think you've ever realized how great it is.

   Well, now, then continuing in the third chapter Hebrews 3:1, Wherefore holy brethren, if you're one of the brethren, if you're begotten of God, the spirit of God is in you and that spirit is holy and makes you holy and the brethren are holy. Are you holy? Now, I don't think most of you are, but you can be, you could be and you ought to be and you can be. Wherefore holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling partakers with Christ and all of that glory and all of that power, oh there's going to be something to do. God is a creator and when you enter the family of God, you become one of the creators, consider the apostle and the high priest of our profession, Jesus Christ.

   So, since that is the case first, it brings out how great Christ is, then it shows how great is the salvation. What is the great purpose for us? And Christ is the pioneer. He is the one through whom we have at all. Now, then it comes to saying, let us consider the apostle and the high priest of our profession, Jesus Christ. And the rest of the book then goes on showing Christ as our High Priest, his office ministering for us, and all of the angels sent forth to minister to those that are the heirs of God. Can you see it my friends? God help you to open your eyes to come to see what you never did before.

   Why are you here? Where are you going? Does your life really have any meaning or are you only the end product of an evolutionary accident?

   Your Bible reveals that man was placed on earth for a reason while men dream of a utopian society on earth, the true destiny of mankind is more than that, properly understood, man's ultimate potential is almost beyond belief.

   To learn more about this exciting truth, request your free copy of, Why were you BORN? Some of the most amazing prophecies ever written in your Bible are revealed in your free copy of the booklet. Why were you BORN?

   You have heard the world tomorrow with Herbert W Armstrong, sponsored by the worldwide church of God. For literature offered on this program, dial this toll-free number 800-423-4444. That's 800-423-4444. If the lines are busy, please call again, or you may send your request along with the call letters of this station to Herbert W Armstrong Pasadena, California. 91123. That's Herbert W Armstrong Pasadena, California. 91123.