Hey, welcome to Walking with Jesus. This is a devotional walk through books of the Bible, and it's a ministry of Forest Hill Presbyterian Church. I'm Jason Van Vemel. Glad you could join us. This is our first devotional in the book of Hebrews. And so we begin with Hebrews chapter 1, verses 1 through 4. Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom He also created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. That's Hebrews 1 verses 1 to 4, a beautiful prologue to the book of Hebrews. And we're going to do three devotionals on this prologue. The first one is focusing on this idea of the last days. Are we living in the last days? How do we know? What does God want us to do in the last days? Does He have a special word for the world if we're living in the last days? Well, you know, millions of books have been sold and tens of millions of dollars have been made trying to provide answers to these kinds of questions. Most people know that the Bible tells us that the world is going to end with the second coming of Jesus, when Jesus comes again and brings an end to this world and ushers in the new heavens and the new earth. They know there's a judgment day, an apocalypse, an Armageddon. And it's not just within Christian circles, even out in the world. Lots of movies have been made on the themes of apocalypse now and the Armageddon, and the Antichrist, and even life in a post-apocalyptic world. And of course, the world views the end of the world differently with a meteor or a nuclear war. But still, there's this pressing idea that the world is rushing toward an end, and we might be living in the last days. So are we living in the last days? Absolutely we are. Because Hebrews 1 says it. Look, Hebrews 1 opens up by saying, Long ago at many times and in many ways God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son. Hebrews, written 2,000 years ago, says these last days in the present tense. So we are living in the last days, but that might not mean exactly what you think it means. What does it mean, the last days? One of the first places we hear about this is from the lips of the Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost when he preaches his sermon and he quotes Joel 2.28 Joel 2.28 says, and it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost Peter gets up to preach a sermon and he says that Joel's word regarding this time of afterward has now come to pass at Pentecost, and Peter uses the phrase, last days. He says that Joel said, in the last days, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. So ever since God poured out his spirit on his people at the day of Pentecost, about 50 days after the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have been living in the last days. Well, what makes these the last days? It's been 2,000 years. That seems like a long period of time. Well, it's the last days because every promise God has made has been fulfilled in Jesus. 2 Corinthians 1 20 says, for all the promises of God find their yes in him. That is why through Him we utter our Amen to God for His glory. God has kept every promise He made in His Son, Jesus Christ. And so everything has been done. And that means that the return of Christ is imminent. It means it could happen at any time. And it's been that way for almost 2,000 years. The fulfillment of God's promises has been completed in Jesus Christ. All that is left is for Jesus to come again and consummate his heavenly kingdom by bringing his church to be with him forever and bringing in the new heavens and the new earth. We are living in the last days. So, is there a special message for the last days? Is God telling us to sell all of our stuff and stockpile up on gold and canned food? Is God telling us to buy a piece of land in Israel near the Mount of Olives? Is God telling us it's time to switch to a vegetarian diet because we're living in the last days? No. No. All of these things, sadly, have been suggested as God's special word for the world in the last days, but they're all unbiblical and dangerous. Indeed, God has given us a very clear word for the world in the last days, and that word is Jesus. He who spoke through the prophets at various times in days past has spoken to us in these last days in His Son. Jesus, the Word Incarnate, is God's Word for the world in the last days. God is calling all people everywhere to repent and believe in Jesus, finding in Him full forgiveness, redemption, and the hope that we need. Some people seem almost disappointed that God's Word for the world isn't more complicated. They want some secret Bible code that they have to figure out. They want some strategy or prayer that will unlock great riches and power or will guarantee them physical security. The truth is all of these desires that we have are actually rival idols and the one that we really need is Jesus. He is as simple and he is as great as that. No one else, nothing else could ever take away all of our sins, could ever cleanse our conscience, could ever bring us peace with God or peace within ourselves, could ever really secure for us our heavenly home. There is no one else and there is nothing else but Jesus. And so Jesus is God's word for the world in the last days. Knowing this truth, should set us free. It should set us free from a desperate struggle to want to figure life out. It should set us free to worship Jesus and share the good news of his gospel with others. And so we have. We have God's word for the world for these last days. The word is Jesus. Let's worship him and let's share this word with the world.