Hebrews 1.2.
In the New International Version, the book of Hebrews begins like so.
Hebrews 1.1-2 NIV - 1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.
The English Standard Version translates it similarly.
Hebrews 1.1-2 ESV - 1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 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.
Other translations also present the similar idea: In the past God spoke through the prophets, but in the present he speaks through his Son.
So the argument goes whenever
I do agree Jesus has the last word on every controversy, disagreement, or discussion among his followers. He’s our Lord, so of course he has final say.
But what this title implies—and what cessationists totally mean—is prophecy stopped: There are no more prophets. We’re done with that. We don‘t even need them; we have a bible. That’s all the revelation we’re gonna get from God; he doesn’t see fit to add to it; and we’d better not claim we have further revelations from him. (And when they interpret what the bible means, and insist we gotta live by their
Doesn’t matter that there are New Testament prophets, particularly John of Patmos; doesn’t matter that Paul encouraged the Corinthians to prophesy; doesn’t matter that Christian history is dotted with prophets. Their proof text for why there aren’t prophets any more—one of many—is how the very book of Hebrews begins by saying God used to speak through prophets, but in the last days it’s just Jesus. And
Thing is, the whole basis of this argument hinges on one little word in their proof-text: “But.” In bible times God spoke through prophets, but now it’s just Jesus. Do we find this word in every bible translation? Nope.
- WYCLIFFE: “…at the last in these days he hath spoken to us by the Son…”
- GENEVA BIBLE (includes it in verse 1): “…in these last days he hath spoken unto us by his Son…”
- KJV: “…hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son…”
- ASV: “…hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son…”
- CSB: “In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son.”
- DARBY: “…at the end of these days has spoken to us in the person of the Son…”
- ISV: “…has in these last days spoken to us by a Son…”
- MEV: “…has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…”
- NASB: “…in these last days has spoken to us in His Son…”
- NET: “…in these last days he has spoken to us in a son…”
- NKJV: “…has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…”
- NLT: “And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son.”
Obviously that’s not every translation. A number of translations include “but,” though you’ll also notice an equal number of ’em have not. Including the oldest English translations.
’Cause cessationists, and those who lean in that direction, added “but” to the bible. And in pinning their arguments to the word they’ve illegitimately inserted into the scriptures, are they riding that “but” hard.
Why is “but” in the verse?
Basic grammar time: “But” is a conjunction. It’s like “and,” “for,” “though,” “then,” “or,” and other words which connect items, or connect one phrase to another.
“And” puts them together with no judgments: “I went to the store and bought candy.” Once you add “but” to such a sentence, you see something’s amiss: “I went to the store but bought candy.” In the sentence with “and,” candy’s no problem; in the sentence with “but,” candy appears to be a problem. It’s not a subtle appearance; “but” is always used to contrast things, not simply add. When we contrast, one of those things is better than the other. Or, in the minds of pessimistic people, one of those things is wrong.
What New Testament word gets translated “but”? That’d be
The rest are up to the translator’s judgment. If it looks like a contrast, sometimes they include “but.” When Jesus talks about thinks the Pharisees teach, then responds, “And I tell you…”
Some of that might be because they think the word for “and,”
John 1.17 KJV - For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
The
John 1.17 RSV - For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Okay. So which Greek word got rendered “but” in Hebrews 1? Oh, there isn’t one. At all.
Verse 2 begins with
True, there are some things God does differently after Jesus came to earth. Jesus is everyone’s king and Messiah, not just Israel’s. Salvation is offered to everybody, not just explicitly to Israel and implicitly to everyone else. Jesus’s death makes every ritual sacrifice redundant (including all the Old Testament sacrifices—but to be fair, they didn’t know this), so Christians don‘t bother with ’em. The
The basis of these wrong ideas is unbelief. Not bible. And as you’ve seen, when unbelievers get to translate bibles, they insert their unbelief into its verses. Sometimes intentionally, because they want proof texts to back ’em up. I’m gonna give them the benefit of the doubt and figure they unthinkingly added their biases. Most of us are unaware of our own biases, or even that these ideas are biases—“No, that’s just how normal people think,”
Jesus is one of the many and various ways.
My own translation doesn’t include any non-existent “but.”
Hebrews 1.1-2 KWL - 1 God, who repeatedly variously spoke through the prophets to our ancestors long ago,
- 2 spoke to us in these last days through his Son,
- whom he made heir to everything, through whom he created this age.
In the past, God spoke through his prophets all sorts of ways. In the first century,
Which means Jesus… is yet another way God spoke to us. The best way, really. Jesus is unfiltered God. No, not filtered through a human; that‘d be any other prophet. Jesus presents precisely what God wants us to know, better than every other prophet ever.
Does that mean Jesus is the last we’re ever gonna hear from God? Obviously not. Hebrews itself got written after Jesus returned to his Father. Jesus still has prophets who speak on his behalf,
Meanwhile we need prophecy just as much as we always have. And Christians are particularly equipped to give it. We have the Holy Spirit, remember?
Acts 2.16-18 KWL - 16 “…but this is what the prophet Joel had said: 17 ‘God said this’ll happen in the last days:
- “I’ll pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and daughters will give prophecies.
- Your young ones will see visions. Your old ones will will dream dreams.
- 18 In those days I’ll pour out my Spirit even on my slaves, men and women.
- And they’ll give prophecies!” ’ ”
Anyone who thinks Joel’s prophecy doesn’t apply to the present day—who claims the coming of Jesus ended prophecy altogether, who thinks God’s taking a millennia-long break between the first century and Jesus’s return—clearly doesn’t respect the scriptures as much as they claim to, and has let their unbelief get in the way of a proper understanding of the bible. Unbelief has become their context. And that’s absolutely
