The Greatest Revelation Series

Anne Graham Lotz in her book Just Give Me Jesus begins her introduction with this

story. “Several years ago, Andrew Morton wrote a biography of Diana, Princess of Wales. In

his publicity tour for the book he said his information was based on conversations he had

with some of her closest friends. His book sold thousand of copies. After Lady Diana’s tragic

death in a car accident in Paris, Andrew Morton’s book was re-released. This time he

revealed that the source of his information had not been intimate friends of Diana’s but

Diana herself. He then produced hours of taped conversations with the princess as proof.

And his book sold hundreds of thousands of copies. It made an enormous difference to the

reading public to discover the book was not hearsay but what Diana had said about herself.”

God has had many spokesmen through history, and they have revealed God’s will for His

people faithfully, but they were only instruments through which God spoke. When Jesus

came into history God was doing something different. He was no longer just using the bodies

and minds of men to convey His Word. He was Himself in a body and mind speaking directly

to man. It was no longer just “Thus saith the Lord,” but “I say unto you.” Jesus was God

speaking to man, and not just another tool God was using to convey His Word. He was the

Word. He was the greatest revelation of God because He was God revealing Himself. His

revelation is superior to all that had gone before Him because He was superior to all that

had gone before Him. He was superior to everyone and everything is the major point of this

whole book. The first three verses of Hebrews are the greatest summery of Christology you

will find anywhere in or outside of the Bible. They reveal Jesus to be superior in these ways:

1. He is superior as a spokesman. He is superior to all past spokesmen.

2. He is superior as a son. God’s ultimate revelation.

3. He is superior in status. Heir of all things.

4. He is superior as source. Creator of all.5. He is superior in splendor. God’s glory.

6. He is superior in substance. Exact replica of Father.

7. He is superior as sustainer. By His powerful word.

8. He is superior as sacrifice. Provided purification for sins.

9. He is superior as sovereign. At right hand of Father.

Hebrews does a lot of comparing to show that Jesus always comes out on top when

compared with any other person or thing. We see it is the first goal of the book to show us

that God has done a lot of revealing of Himself by speaking to men in various ways, but that

the highest and final way is in Jesus. It is of interest to note that the first verse uses

alliteration in that the five key words of “many times,” “many ways,” “past,” “fathers,” and

“prophets” all begin with the Greek letter “pi.” I am going to follow that pattern as we look

at the three kinds of revelation that the book of Hebrews deals with. They are Past

Revelation, Progressive Revelation, and Perfect Revelation.

THE PAST REVELATION

The first things that needs to be made clear is that the superiority of the revelation we

have in these last days through the Son does not mean that the revelation that came through

the prophets of old is not valid. It was the best that God was giving at the time. It was

incomplete, but it was the best that could be had in the days of the prophets. Jesus did not

come to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them. They were the introduction,

and Jesus is the completion. They gave us fragments of God’s purpose, but Jesus gave us the

final and full revelation of God’s purpose. Through the prophets we come to know about

God, but through Jesus we come to know God, for He is God speaking directly and not

though the voice of another.

Jesus made it clear that the Old Testament was God speaking to man about Himself, and

that there was a final revelation coming. In John 5:39-40 Jesus says to the Jewish leaders,

“You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life.

These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”

Jesus is saying that the old revelation was pointing to Him. He makes it even more clear to

the two on the road to Emmaus after he arose from the dead. In Luke 24:25-27 we read,

“How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!