New Revelations?

“God who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by
the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath
appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.” --Hebrew 1:1,2

The implications of our text are plain. God used to do something, but now He no
longer does that because His Son has come. What did He used to do? He used to speak
at sundry times and in divers manners. He spoke by visions, by dreams, by prophets,
by signs and wonders; once he even spoke to a prophet by a donkey.

All this was done in this manner in order to indicate that the Truth, the Perfection, the
Way had not yet appeared.  Even the great Moses saw only the hinder parts of God and
complete and perfect revelation would come the Lord Jesus Christ.

What Are “Last Days”?

But in these “last days” it is not God's purpose to take away from the glory of His Son
by cluttering up the message by words “at sundry times and in divers manners.” “Last
days” has a uniform meaning in Scripture, the times of the Gospel, the word of our
Lord Jesus Christ. They are the last days because they are the days predicted by the
Old Testament prophets, and when Jesus appeared, there was no other message left for
God to speak to the world, because Christ is the appointed heir over all things. 

Degrading Christ 

Those who pretend new revelations, or those who long for new revelations, are
downgrading Christ, and slandering Him, as if He did not speak plainly, or that His
message is out of date, or as if He didn't really know everything that we need to know
about God, going to Heaven, and doing what is right.

There are those who would speak of the Holy Ghost as if He had a message “more
full” than the gospel of Christ. It reminds me of my children when they were small.
Sometimes after their mother would tell them something, they would come to me and
ask the same question, because they hoped I would give them permission to do
something other than what their mother said. It didn't happen very often, because their
mother and I soon put a stop to it. We always tried to be on the same page, so they
could not play us off against each other. They soon found out that it was wrong for
them to ask me something that their mother had already spoken to.

Words for the Last Days

Our text tells us that Christ's words are the words for the last days. The words for the
last days are the last words. It was the Holy Ghost who spoke in the prophets and who
spoke of Christ. It was Christ who poured out the Holy Ghost on the Church. It is in
Christ that all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily.

(Col. 2:9), and that means that we are complete in Him (Col. 2:10). Through the men
whom He appointed personally, He finished the doctrine of the gospel and established
His church (Acts 10:41), and God bore them witness with mighty signs and wonders
(Heb. 2:3,4). Being complete, there are no other experiences, there are no other
messages, there are no other blessings. Having Christ is all there is; but the all is all.

This does not limit the church in blessing, gifts, or opportunities; but clears the way for
faith in Christ to lay hold on the true fullness that is in Him.

People Just Need Christ
Because of this, if you are in Christ, all things are yours (I Cor. 3:23). The reason we
do not need any other message is because Christ is the creator of all things, and they
were all created to display His excellences. Like Paul, we should understand that “the
fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in
God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the
principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the
manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ
Jesus our Lord: in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of
him.”

How to Abound
Peter tells us how to abound in this faith. In Jesus Christ we have all things that pertain
to life and godliness (2Pet. 1:3,4) so that we can escape the corruption that is in the
world through lust.

It is not by adding some new revelation or by lusting after signs and wonders, but by
“diligently” (vs. 5) adding “to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to
knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to
godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.” (II Pet. 1:5-7) There
are no shortcuts, and those who promise shortcuts will take you away from Christ.

If we do what Peter commands, then we will not be barren nor unfruitful in the
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we will “never fall,” but have an abundant
entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (vs. 11).

The Source of Strength
The Apostles knew where the source of their real strength, wisdom, power and
knowledge was: it was in Jesus Christ, the Word that was made flesh. Paul, “I can do
all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13). Matthew: “Jesus came
and spake unto them saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye
therefore....” (Matt. 28:18). Peter and John: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth
rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6).

The Strength of Revival
This was the power and the genius of the great Protestant Reformation. Satan's
kingdom would be overthrown and his minions vanquished by one thing alone: faith in
Jesus Christ. Not by holy water, not by exorcism, not by magic ceremonies, not by the
mutterings and peepings of ignorant priests, but by the preaching of the gospel of faith
in Jesus Christ.

They saw that all these other things were but devices to hold people in bondage to the
devil, and under his control. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast. For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:8-10). The victory was by faith in Jesus
Christ alone (I John 5:4). For this reason they were not ashamed of the Gospel of
Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth (Rom. 1:16.

To depart from this gospel to seek signs and wonders, new revelations, and new
gospels, is to depart from Christ and lose all possibility of salvation, for the just shall
live by faith (Rom. 1:17).

The Only Savior
Those whom God saves, He saves by the gift of faith in Jesus Christ. None other are
saved, but remain under the power and control of the devil. On this the Bible is very
clear (John 14:6; 1 John 5;11,12; Acts 4:12).