“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” (Hebrews 1:2 ESV).
The “last days” reference here in Hebrews 1:2 corresponds with this current period of human history, an era where God has spoken to us through His Son. We can turn to an example from the game of baseball to illustrate this concept.
Unlike other timed sports like football, hockey, or basketball, a major league baseball game is separated into nine untimed innings. This means that two baseball teams in the final inning of a game may continue play for an indefinite period of time. In a similar manner, this reference to “these last days” indicates that humanity has reached the “final inning,” so to speak. That era began with Jesus’ ascension, continues for an indefinite period today, and will conclude upon His return.
One pastoral author offers a further explanation…
“Many people take the phrase, ‘these last days,’ to refer to the time just before Christ’s return, but the biblical usage of that phrase indicates that it refers to the whole period of time between the first coming of our Lord and his second coming. In other words, for 2,000 years we have been living in the last days…
In the account in Acts 2, we read that, on the Day of Pentecost, Peter quoted the prophecy of Joel, in which the prophet said that ‘in the last days’ God would pour out his Spirit upon all flesh, (Acts 2:17). That, Peter said, was beginning to be fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost, almost 2,000 years ago. The first words of the book of Hebrews are: ‘In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,’ (Hebrews 1:1-2a RSV). So, it is clear, from that, that ‘the last days’ is a period which has now grown to 2,000 years’ duration.” (1)
In contrast to the fragmentary nature of God’s message to humanity throughout the Old Testament era, Hebrews 1:2 tells us that God has spoken to us today through His Son. This tells us that we do not need to pursue alternative methods of communication that purportedly offer guidance, insight, or direction from God. Instead, God has spoken definitively through Christ. We’ll consider the extent of that message next.
Image Credit: “NYC – Queens – Flushing: Shea Stadium” by wallyg is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
(1) Excerpted with permission from Dangerous Times © 2021 by Ray Stedman Ministries. All rights reserved. Visit www.RayStedman.org for the complete library of Ray Stedman material. Please direct any questions to [email protected] https://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/timothy/dangerous-times