In Hebrews 1:14 we find the Apostle Paul reminding the Israelite Christians (and all true Christians) that God’s angels serve to help those who “shall be heirs of salvation.” The word “heir” refers to one who does not yet have the inheritance, but will receive it in the future if he/she meets the requirements established by the provider of the inheritance. By contrast, “inheritor” denotes that one who already has the promised inheritance. In this instance the promise refers to salvation, rebirth, eternity in the Kingdom of God and rulership over the universe. In Hebrews 2:1-4 Paul warns the heirs of salvation (God’s true church) that they must obey God’s Words, for to fail to do so would disqualify them from receiving their promised inheritance. Note it: TRUE SAINTS ARE HEIRS–NOT YET RECIPIENTS–OF THE PROMISE. THEY MUST CONTINUE TO OBEY GOD’S WORD TO THE END IN ORDER TO RECEIVE IT (Mat. 10:22). In 2:5 Paul, who had received his gospel through revelation from Jesus Christ Himself (Gal. 1:11,12), tells the saints that God has NOT placed “the world (universe) to come” under the control of His angels. This tells us that He plans to place it under the control of some other group. The question is, what group? Paul declares that it is MAN–God’s righteous saints–to whom He will subject the works of His hands. God calls the creation of the universe the “works of His hands” in Hebrews 2:6-9: “What is man (humanity) that you are mindful of him? or the son of man (individuals) that you visit him? You made him (temporarily) a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor and set him over THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS. You put ALL THINGS in subjection under his feet …. But we do not yet see all things put under him ….” Paul goes on to say that we do see Jesus, the God (Word–Jn. 1:1-4,14) Who became a man and suffered all of the temptations, trials and testings that His fellow human beings would endure  “yet without sin.” Having set the standard for righteousness which is necessary in order to become an heir, He is teaching those who follow in His footsteps how to obtain the inheritance. Paul is here repeating what King David wrote in Psalms 8:3-9. Note that, as is the case in the Book of Revelation, God describes in PAST TENSE things that will take place in the FUTURE. This means that what the Lord said, though it has not yet taken place, has already taken place in His eyes. This is the ultimate demonstration of faith, which is “the SUBSTANCE of things HOPED FOR, the EVIDENCE of things NOT (YET) seen” (Heb. 11:1). This is the God-level faith that one must exhibit in order to be saved and to rule over all of His creation. When we remember that the saints will rule the stars, planets, the sun and moon, etc., as well as angels (1 Cor. 6:3), the Truth is beyond the comprehension of mere mortals. Paul says as much in his second letter to the church at Corinth.

In Second Corinthians 12:1-4 he describes an episode he had experienced some 14 years earlier when the Lord took him up to the 3rd heaven and revealed to him things that no other mortal had ever seen and spoke to him “unspeakable words which is unlawful for a man to utter.” Paul describes the episode in his first letter to the Corinthian church where he wrote, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart (mind) of man the things which God has prepared for them that love Him” (2:9)–them that obey His Words/Law/commandments, which he said in First Corinthians 7:19 is the only thing that matters.

The Scriptures noted above, along with many others, prove that faith is NOT all that is needed in order to receive salvation. The idea that one needs to “only believe” is of Satanic origin, as are most “Christian” doctrines, customs and traditions. L.J.