From the time of Samuel onward, the Lord would send prophets to his people again and again—famous men like Elisha and Elijah, but also some unknown prophets whose names are not mentioned. Throughout the time of the kings, during the exile, and also immediately afterward, the Lord graciously spoke to his people through his prophets. The prophets were also testifying where the people were going wrong, acting as covenant lawyers. The prophets spoke about a day in the future—a day where there would be an individual, an anointed One who would come to make all things right.

He will be the king who rules with justice. Like we saw in Hannah’s prayer from 1 Samuel 2:1–36, the prophets also speak of a king who will guard the feet of God’s faithful and destroy all his enemies. But not only a king, also a faithful priest. A priest who will intercede and atone for sin, as we are reminded in the words previously spoken to Eli. Finally, this individual, this anointed One, will also be a prophet, who will bring greater revelation from God. In the words of Deuteronomy 18:1–22, a prophet who will be like Moses but greater than Moses (see Acts 3:17–26).

That is the hope which the prophets of old held out for God’s people, and the New Testament writers are adamant in proclaiming that Jesus of Nazareth is this individual. He is the Christ, the anointed One, in whom all God’s plans find fulfillment. He is the King who rules in righteousness and leads us in worship. He is the priest who pays for sin and then sits down at the right hand of the Majesty on high—job done (Hebrews 1:3). He is also the prophet. The prophet who not only speaks a Word from God to us, but the prophet who is the radiance of God’s glory, the exact imprint of his nature (Hebrews 1:3–4). The prophet who is a perfect picture of God. The prophet who reveals the Father and his will to us in a way that surpasses all that came before.

And so the book of Hebrews (Hebrews 1:1–4) tells us that what this prophet Jesus has spoken to us, is a complete and final word. In these last days God has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things. That is a reference not only to the words which Jesus said during his time on earth, but also to the words he spoke by his Spirit through the apostles. All the words we have in the Bible are all that we need to faithfully serve God until Christ’s second coming. Everything we need to know about who God is and what he expects from us is recorded in these pages. God has spoken by his Son; there is no more special revelation to come. We do not live in the time of the old covenant where blessing and curse are connected with life in the land of Canaan. We are not living in a theocracy under the direct rule of God where he needs to give specific directions for politics and policy decisions. No, we live in the time of the new covenant—the covenant mediated by Christ. It is the latter days of which God has spoken a final word through his Son.