"Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets2 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 1:1-2
The opening words of the epistle form one of the most majestic utterances in the whole Bible. They sound out like the magnificent movement of a great symphony and, symphony-wise, announce the principal subject matter of all that is to follow. There are two points in particular that we must note. Firstly there is the contrast between 'times past' and 'these last days'. The point the Apostle is making is that in olden time God spoke to the fathers in fragmentary and varied fashion. The revelation He gave of Himself was not complete. He spoke in shadows, in illustrations; He spoke in the law, in history, through the varied wanderings of the chosen people from Egypt to the Promised Land; He spoke through the prophets - but in none of these was His last word spoken. Something, so to speak, still remained to be said. And that final word was spoken to men in His Son Jesus Christ. Christ is God's last word to man – in the sense that nothing more now needs to be said, for in this word God answers all the need of the human heart. In times of national emergency in Israel, when all was black on the horizon, the cry was, "Is there any word from the Lord?" That is the proper setting of these glorious words for us. In the darkening shadows that have stolen across our world, when men's hearts are failing them for fear, here is the one sure answer: "God... hath spoken... in His Son".