A discussion of Heb 1:1-2, with an Outlawpreacher

On twitter, I have been having a discussion with a guy by the name of pastornar abbout Hebrews 1:1-2, and it's relation to direct revelation from God to us(you). Keep in mind that twitter limits you to 160 characters, several of which go toward the persons name, ect...

"I believe the Scriptures say that in these last days he has spoken to us in/thru his Son.... If the Head of the Body cannot directly communicate with the Body we have a weak, sick, handicapped Body."

Now he is referencing as you can tell, Hebrews 1:1-2.

Here is what that text says, (ESV) 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 also he created the world.

Simple questions here:
What is then tense of Spoken, I would say past.
Did God speak to your fathers by the prophets? Unless you are Jewish, No.
Did the author of this text mean for it to imply that Christ is actively speaking to the people via special revelation? I Would say no, and here is why --

According to Vincent's Word Studies, the literal greek rendering of the phrase 'in these last days' is "at the last of these days." Notable Commentator John Gill says about this -

[...] the Alexandrian copy, the Complutensian edition, and several other copies, read, "in the last of these days": perfectly agreeable to the phrase באחרית הימים, used in Gen_49:1 to which the apostle refers, and in which places the days of the Messiah are intended; and it is a rule with the Jews, that wherever the phrase, "the last days", is mentioned, the days of the Messiah are designed: and they are to be understood not of the last days of the natural world, but of, the Jewish world and state;[...]

Clearly the time period of Christ was the 'last days' for the Jewish nation and for temple based Judaism with the destruction of the temple in 70 AD.
The question that should follow in our minds then is, Does this passage speak of direct personal special revelation from Christ to all individual Christians, or is it speaking about God's revelation of the Gospel through his son? Given the direct context I would submit that the later interpretation is more accurate to what the author had in mind when writing this text.

Landmarkism - More Theological Terms

I will be honest with you, and say that I had not heard of this (cult like) idea until I purchased two dictionary's of theological terms.. but I have learned that seemingly nothing good came out of the 1800's in American Theology...

A theological movement originating in Tennessee in the Mid-nineteenth century, holding that only Baptist Churches are true churches, that baptism is only valid when administered by a Baptist Congregation and that communion is to be restricted to the members of a particular congregation, for there is no such thing as the universal church. Landmarkism also hold that there is an uninterrupted line of succession of true Baptists, linking the present-day congregations with Jesus and the apostles. In order to show this, Landmarkist historians seek to reinstate many in the past whom the church at large considered heretics, and whose views are now reinterpreted in order to bring them in line with Baptist teachings.[From Essential Theological Terms, Justo Gonzalez].


So what we have is a group of Baptists, who now Join the ranks of The Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox churches to have Succession (Though they call it church succession, as opposed to Apostolic succession) . But they also take on the classic American Cult Mantra --- Unless you are one of US you can't be saved. (Jehovah's Witness', Mormons, perhaps even SDA's fall into this [not all of them mind you] All American, all abhorrent).

Well that is your Term of the Day. Enjoy!

The Church Fathers of Mormonism

Orson Pratt said this :

there is no doubt that the holy ghost came upon mary to sanctify her and make her holy and prepare her to endure the glorious presence of the highest that when he should overshadow her she might conceive being filled with the holy ghost hence the angel said as recorded in matthew that which is conceived in her is of the holy Ghost that is the holy ghost gave her strength to abide the presence of the father without being consumed but it was the personage of the father who begat the body of jesus and for this reason jesus is called t the only begotten of the father that is the only one in this world whose fleshly body was begotten by the father there were millions of sons and daughters whom he begat before the foundation of this world but they were spirits and not bodies of flesh and bones whereas both the spirit and body of jesus were begotten by the father the spirit having been begotten in heaven many ages before the tabernacle was begotten upon the earth. The Seer Page 158.