Did the passage stand alone, we might feel that the "appointing" here as Heir of all

things took place at the Incarnation, the Baptism or some other period of the Saviour's

earthly life, but the statement that follows "by Whom also He made the worlds" takes us

back to the beginning, and so forbids such an interpretation. It should be noted that God

as the "Father" has not yet been mentioned by name. It is "God" (Elohim) Who spoke to

the fathers by the prophets, it is "God" that ultimately spake "in Son", as it is "God" that

appointed this One Who in fullness of time became flesh and Whose glory as of the Only

Begotten was seen; but we are anticipating our study of the sonship of Christ. As "The

Word" (John 1: 1) and as "The Image" (Col. 1: 15) He created heaven and earth, visible

and invisible, or as John puts it "all things were made by Him". "All things" were made

by Him and "all things" constitute His inheritance. Not only so, but we shall read soon

that He upholds all things by the word of His power (1: 3); that all things are put under

His feet (2: 8); that all things are for Him and by Him (2: 10). These give some idea of

the extent of His inheritance. Colossians adds more "He is before all things, and by Him

all things consist" and "In all things He has the preeminence" (Col. 1: 16-18). His title

"The Firstborn of every creature" is but another way of saying that He is the Heir of all

things. He is not only the Firstborn of every creature, He has now become the Firstborn

from the dead that in all things He might have the pre-eminence, and so we see that "all

things" embraces not only the visible and invisible universe, its sun, moon and stars, its

men, angels and principalities, but the new creation of the redeemed who will one day be

presented to the Father, that God may be all in all.

In Rom. 4: 17 we read that when God said to Abraham "I have made thee a father of

many nations", Abraham and Sarah were "dead" so far as parenthood was concerned; the

child Isaac was not born for some years after Abraham had been made a father of many

nations. Again, even when Isaac was born, the "many nations" were in the distant future.

Now the words "l have made" of Rom. 4: 17 and the words "He hath appointed" of

Heb. 1: 2 are both translations of the Greek tithemi. The only other occurrences of

tithemi in Hebrews are in 1: 13 and 10: 13 where we read of enemies being made a

footstool. This event also is future, the Son of God sits at the right hand of God "from

henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool". The Saviour had a glory

"before the world was", a glory which He shares with none, not even the redeemed. He

also has a glory which has been given to Him in His capacity as Kinsman Redeemer.

This He shares with His own:

The inherent glory of the Son of God is defined in  1 Tim. 6: 16  as being

unapproachable, and a glory that "no man hath seen, nor can see". As Creator, He most

obviously possessed by right "all things" but as Redeemer He was appointed to be Heir

of all things. This is the glory that was given to Him, an inheritance to be shared by the

many sons He brings to glory. So in Heb. 1: 4 He is said to have "by inheritance

obtained a more excellent name than the angels". But who needs to be told that He Who

created all things visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, dominions, principalities

or powers, has a more excellent name than His creatures? It is as the Son, the only

begotten, the Man Christ Jesus, the one Mediator, that Christ was appointed to be heir of