Bible Truth or Tradition: According to Hebrews 1:2, did God create the universe through Jesus?

Regarding the creation of the heavens and the earth, Wayne Grudem states the following on page 200 of his "Systematic Theology" book: "Before God made the universe, there was no matter, but then he created all things (Gen. 1:1; John 1:3; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2).

On pages 252 & 253 Grudem writes "....(Eph. 1:11). The phrase here translated "all things" (ta panta) is used frequently by Paul to refer to everything that exists or everything in creation (see for example, Eph. 1:10,23; 3:9; 4:10; Col. 1:16 [twice], 17; Rom. 11:36; 1 Cor 8:6 [twice]). He also notes: "The phrase does not always carry that meaning....., but in contexts where the scope of Paul's thought is cosmic or universal in nature,....the phrase does seem quite clearly to refer to everything in creation.

Let’s begin with Hebrews 1:2: "but in these last days he (God) has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world."

So, did God create the universe through Jesus. Wayne Grudem says "all things" are everything that exists or everything in creation. Does the context here seem quite clearly to refer to everything in creation? Or, is Jesus the heir of something that is being created or will be created in the future? "All things" in this verse is what God appointed Jesus the heir of. Isn't an heir someone who will receive an inheritance?

A simple word study of the Greek word "aion" translated "world" at the end of this verse, points to a different meaning. The Greek word "aion"translates directly into English as “age” or “eon,” fundamentally denoting a long or finite period of time, not the universe.

A strong contextual argument is that these are the things God is bringing under Christ’s authority through His redemptive plan: the coming kingdom, the nations, the world to come, and universal dominion. Hebrews 2:8 explicitly says: “In putting everything under him (Jesus), God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.” That statement is important because it acknowledges a future aspect. The inheritance has been decreed, but its complete manifestation is not yet visible.

"For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, "What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet." Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him." Hebrews‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬-‭8‬

So, it appears to me that Mr Grudem is telling a different story than what the Bible says regarding Hebrews 1:2. Does he rightly interpret the rest of the passages that he lists regarding the creation of "all things?"

Mark Rohde can be reached at marklrohde@icloud.com.