Hebrews Chapter Nine

1. Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
Accordingly, it [the OC] also had the first tabernacle ordinances of service, and the earthly sanctuary (literal).1
The writer, having established that the OC has been replaced by the NC in Christ, now elaborates further on how the OC tabernacle/temple activities foreshadowed the True.
The writer has carefully explained that the OC was imperfect, which is why it has been replaced with a permanent NC. Paul also took time to explain the significant transition that took place through the work of Christ: “14. For He [Christ] is our peace Who did make both [the Jew and the Gentile] one, and the wall of division He did tear down, 15. by His flesh He did abolish the enmity, the Law of commandments in the ordinances, so that, in Himself, the two [the Jew and the Gentile] He did create into one new man, making peace, 16. And to reconcile both [the Jew and the Gentile] in one Body to God through the cross, having slain the enmity in Himself (Ephesians 2:14-16, literal).2 This is how the OC was ended and the NC was established; it is Christ Who, through His sacrifice, has brought into being one Body, the ekklesia – those who have placed their faith in Him and live in obedience to His commands (not the OC commands, but the Law of God – the Ten Commandments now written upon our hearts). This is a concise summary of what the writer has established to this point.
The OC had an earthly tabernacle that was made very carefully according to the pattern that Jehovah gave to Moses; this later became the temple that Solomon constructed, and still later, the temple built by Zerubbabel, to replace Solomon’s temple that had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. The tabernacle/temple contained two sanctuaries: a Holy Place where the priests attended to the seven lamps, the showbread and altar of incense; the second, separated from the first by a veil, was the Holy of Holies, where the presence of God dwelt between the cherubim on the mercy seat above the Ark of the Covenant, and into which the high priest would enter only one day each year. In front of the sanctuaries, the sacrifices were made for the sins of the Israelites (individually and corporately). The tabernacle/temple was the scene of continual activity by the priests as they sought to adhere to the OC requirements.
2. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
For the first tabernacle was prepared, which is called the Holy Place, in which [was] the lampstand and both the table and the presentation of the bread (literal).3
The Holy Place stood in front of the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, and although the priests could freely attend to the upkeep of this sanctuary, it was off-limits to everyone else. The writer mentions the lampstand, and the table with its bread arranged upon it; however, what is not noted here is the altar of incense that stood before the curtain that hid the Most Holy Place.
The lampstand, with its seven lamps that were to be kept continually burning (Leviticus 24:2), stood to the left, as you entered the Holy Place. Opposite to the lampstand was the table that held the “showbread” that was replaced every Sabbath (Leviticus 24:5-8; 1 Samuel 21:6).
If we consider what John saw when he was taken, in the spirit, into heaven, it will provide us with an eternal context for the furnishings of the Holy Place; remembering that the earthly tabernacle was made very carefully according to the pattern that the Lord revealed to Moses on Mt. Sinai. As John entered God’s heaven, he saw the throne, bearing the presence of God, and within sight of it were seven lamps burning, which he identifies as being the seven-fold Spirit of God (Revelation 4:5). In the Holy Place, in front of the Holy of Holies (the presence of God), stood the lampstand bearing seven lamps that were to be kept burning continually; indeed, the likeness to the heavenly is striking.
The table of showbread stands opposite to the lampstand, and it held twelve loaves of bread (made fresh every week) that were carefully arranged in two rows of six, with frankincense placed by each row (something else that is not mentioned). In the heavenly, we do not find the presence of bread, but we do find the Bread of Life (John 6:35). John tells us that, while still in the presence of God, his attention is directed toward a Lamb, Who appeared to have been slain, standing in the midst of God’s throne (Revelation 5:6) – the Bread of Life is there as the Lamb of God!
We can only speculate as to why the altar of incense has not been included; it was upon this altar that the priests would burn incense in their morning and evening rituals (Exodus 30:7-8). To understand the significance of the burning incense, we need to look to the heavenly: And the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints out of the hand of the angel before God (Revelation 8:4, literal).4 The smoke from the burning incense symbolizes the supplications of the saints coming before the Lord; that is an important picture within the sanctuary: the prayers of God’s people coming before Him every morning and evening. The altar of incense was where the people’s petitions came before the Lord, along with the assistance of two members of the Godhead: the Spirit (the seven lamps burning, the lampstand with its lamps continually burning, Romans 8:26) and Jesus Christ (the Bread of Life – the presented bread; 1 John 2:1). Each morning and evening, when the priest would go to burn incense upon the altar (symbolizing the prayers of the saints), he would pass between the lampstand and the table with the showbread: the light of the Spirit and the Bread of life!
3. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; 4. Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5. And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
3. And after the second veil, the second tabernacle called the Holy of Holies, 4. Having the golden censer and the ark of the covenant, which has been covered with gold on all sides, in which [is] the golden jar containing the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5. And above it the cherubim of glory that overshadow the mercy seat – regarding which, at the present time, it is not possible to speak in detail (literal).5
We are now taken beyond the veil into the inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, and, again, the furnishings are mentioned.
The first listed is the golden censer, which, strictly speaking, is a container that is used for burning incense.6 There are two Greek words that are translated as censer: thumiaterion and libanoton; the first comes from the burning of the incense (thumiao), the latter, from frankincense (libanos), which is one of the ingredients for the incense that was used in the tabernacle (Exodus 30:34-35).7 In our text, the Greek word is thumiaterion, and the majority of modern translations show this as being the golden altar of incense.8 However, God has told us very specifically where the altar of incense is placed within the tabernacle: “1. And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon … 6. And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee” (Exodus 30:1a, 6). The altar of incense, upon which the priests burned incense both morning and evening, was before the veil – on the same side of the veil as the table of showbread and the lampstand. The same modern translations that show the altar of incense in our text, also include the instructions in Exodus to place it before the veil; clearly, the altar of incense cannot be in two places at once – it stood before the veil within the Holy Place, and not in the Holy of Holies.
Although the golden censer was probably not kept in the Holy of Holies, it was an essential part of the high priest’s work on the Day of Atonement. His first responsibility was to scoop coals from the altar of incense into the censer, take handfuls of incense (which he would undoubtedly carry in a cup or bowl, since there were several of such within the Holy Place), and enter the Holy of Holies where he would place the incense upon the coals to produce a cloud of smoke that would cover the mercy seat (Leviticus 16:12-13).
The Ark of the Covenant was the primary furnishing of the inner holy sanctuary. It was an open box that was overlaid with gold, and which originally contained the tables of stone written on by God (Exodus 25:16), a jar of manna (Exodus 16:33), and Aaron’s rod that budded (Numbers 17:10). The lid of the Ark is called the mercy seat, and it is on this that the cherubim were set with their wings forming a covering for it; it was from between the cherubim that the Lord spoke with Moses (Exodus 25:22).
The writer will not go into detail regarding the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies at this time; what he wants the reader to have in mind is the essentials of the tabernacle in the matter of dealing with sin.
6. Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
And these, having been thus prepared, into the first tabernacle [the Holy Place] the priests were continually entering, performing the service (literal).9
The Holy Place was the scene of activity by the priests as they burned incense upon the altar of incense both morning and evening (Exodus 30:7-8), as they tended to the lamps to ensure that there was a continual light (Exodus 27:20-21), and, on a weekly basis, they replaced the showbread (Leviticus 24:5-8). This was what the Lord required, and it was the priests’ responsibility to attend to the Holy Place, that first sanctuary.
7. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
But into the second, only the high priest once each year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and the people’s sins of ignorance (literal).10
It was on the Day of Atonement that the high priest would enter into the Holy of Holies to make atonement for his sins, his family’s sins, and for the sins of the people. Although this is the only day of the year when entry into this inner sanctuary was permitted by the high priest, he actually entered it three times during this one day: the first was with coals of fire and handfuls of incense, which he would place upon the coals upon entering beyond the veil (Leviticus 16:12-13), the second time was with the blood of a bullock (for his and his family’s sins), to sprinkle it upon the mercy seat and in front of it (Leviticus 16:14), and the third time was with the blood of a goat, for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:15).
Although the blood was essential to bring the atonement for sin, the cloud of incense was also important, because without it hiding the mercy seat, the high priest would die (Leviticus 16:13). As we have already noted, the cloud of incense is symbolic of the prayers of the saints (Revelation 8:3-4; those whose faith is in the Lord and His promises). Before the high priest could atone for the sins of the people, he first dealt with his own sins and those of his household; the high priest (under the Levitical system) was a sinner, so he had to begin with personal cleansing, and only then was he able to make atonement for the people. However, the atonement for sin for the Israelites did not automatically fall upon all of them – it needed to be personally appropriated by faith in the Lord; the people had to be actively identifying with the atoning work of the high priest. Paul makes the case that Abraham was declared righteous by faith in the Lord (Romans 4:3-5), and since no one could keep the Law perfectly, it brought condemnation; the atoning work of the high priest affirmed the sins of everyone present, and it was only by faith in the Lord that that atoning work was able to bring cleansing to the individual.
It is interesting to note that the high priest had to make atonement for his own sins before he was able to do so for the people. We know that the priests had to be without blemish or defect (Leviticus 21:16-23), and it was after the high priest was cleansed before God of his own sin, that he was able to make the offering for the sins of the people. Not only did the sacrifice have to be “without blemish” (a phrase that is continually applied to the sacrificial animals), but the one who sprinkled the blood for the atonement also had to be physically whole and freshly cleansed from sin in order to bring atonement for the sins of the people. Although imperfectly, the high priest foreshadowed the coming of the sinless, perfect Lamb of God Who was a Sacrifice without blemish and a sinless High Priest Who made atonement for the sins of the whole world.
The writer of Hebrews adds a significant note regarding the sins of the people: they are sins of ignorance. Numbers 15:28 – “And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him.” However, “30. the soul that doeth ought presumptuously [in pride or arrogance11], whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off [given the death penalty] from among his people. 31. Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him” (Numbers 15:30-31).12 Under the OC, there was no sacrifice that could be made to bring cleansing from deliberate sin – for the one who showed contempt for the Lord; the warning that we have already considered is this: “Beware, brethren, that there never be in anyone of you a wicked heart of unbelief, to become apostate from the God Who is living” (Hebrews 3:12, literal).13 A wicked heart of unbelief describes someone who is not only in unbelief, but who is actively showing disdain for the Lord, who has despised the word of the LORD, and, for such a person who is apostate, there is no cleansing (Hebrews 6:4-6). On this, the OC and NC are in agreement.
8. The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
The Holy Spirit is making this clear: the Way of the sanctuaries has not yet been revealed, [while] the first tabernacle still has existence (literal).14
As we have noted before, this letter was written about the latter 60s AD, and the temple was still standing and in full use by the religious Jews. As we have endeavored to understand the significance of what was in the Holy Place, we looked at what John described as he was taken in the spirit into heaven. All of John’s writings were done in the 90s AD, after the temple and Jerusalem were completely destroyed by the Romans; therefore, the insight that we gained from John came after the first tabernacle had been removed.
When the writer says, the Way of the sanctuaries has not yet been revealed, he is simply stating that a full understanding of the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies will not come while the temple is standing. The existing physical structure and priestly activities hindered any desire among the Hebrews to consider the reality after which these things were patterned. It is as we consider the revelations of the heavenly that come through John’s writing of Revelation (some twenty years after the destruction of the temple), that we can begin to see how the earthly was a mere shadow of the true. The Way of the sanctuaries is revealed through Christ (Who is the Way), Who fulfilled the priestly activities of the sanctuaries and became the Way to the Father, which was appropriately illustrated by the tearing of the veil before the Holy of Holies.
During His ministry, Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one is coming to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6, literal).15 We must see this within its proper context to fully comprehend the enormity of what Christ accomplished for humanity. Even for the OT saints, Jesus was the only Way to the Father.
Abel, the second son of Adam and Eve; he and his brother, Cain, brought offerings to the Lord: Cain of the fruit of the ground, and Abel a lamb from his flock. What we do not read of in Scripture, but what evidently took place, is that Adam and Eve instructed their sons on what to offer to the Lord. You will recall that after the sin of Adam and Eve, the Lord sacrificed animals (their blood was shed) in order to provide them with coverings that were acceptable to Him; the pattern was established that in order to be approved of God (to receive His cleansing from sin), it was necessary to make an offering to Him that included shed blood and faith in Him. The fig leaves that Adam and Eve sewed together were not acceptable to the Lord – we cannot make a covering for sin that will gain the Lord’s approval. As Cain and Abel brought their offerings, Abel did so in keeping with the pattern that the Lord had established (the shed blood of a lamb), while Cain brought produce (following the pattern of the fig leaves). Notice Cain’s response when he realized that the Lord had accepted Abel’s offering, but rejected his: “But unto Cain and to his offering he [the Lord] had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell” (Genesis 4:5) – Cain was exceedingly angry!16 If Cain had been unaware of what the Lord required, he might have been confused by his rejection, and humbly sought the Lord as to what he had done wrong; his great anger tells us that he knew what was required, but chose to do it his way. Abel came to the Lord in faith and obedience, believing that his offering would bring a temporary covering for sin, and, indeed, his offering was accepted by the Lord. Jesus affirmed this reality by referring to Abel as being righteous (Matthew 23:35). Cain sought the same cleansing, but did not believe that the pattern of shed blood, established in the Garden, was the only way to garner the Lord’s approval – he did not accept the instruction of the Lord in this matter, and refused to obey Him. The animal sacrifices that were made to the Lord, before Mt. Sinai, all followed the pattern of shed blood being required in order to provide a covering for sin, and all pointed forward to the Promised One Who would come to make a final offering for sin. The promise was first made to the serpent (Satan) by the Lord in the Garden of Eden: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it [He, a masculine pronoun] shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15).17 The shed blood of the sacrifice, made in faith, brought cleansing because it foreshadowed the sacrifice that Christ would make to pay the full price for the sin of humanity. Abel made his offering in faith and obedience, and he has been called righteous.
Before the cross, Jesus taught that the righteous (those who were faithful to the Lord) would go to Abraham’s bosom when they died (Luke 16:22); to the thief on the cross, Jesus called it paradise (Luke 23:43) – either way, it was a place of comfort (Luke 16:25). On the other hand, the unrighteous went to Hades (hell), a place of torment, and although those in Hades could see paradise, there was an impenetrable barrier between the two (Luke 16:23, 26). All of the OT saints, whose sins had been temporarily cleansed through the sacrifices made (whether before or after Mt. Sinai, it doesn’t matter), went to paradise after their time on earth. Therefore, paradise held those who had been faithful to the Lord during their lifetime; their sins had been temporarily covered through shed blood, and, after death, they entered paradise where they awaited the day when their sins would be cleansed permanently. This took place when the Lord Jesus shed His blood on the cross for the sins of humanity (past, present and future); His payment for sin was final! The OT saints, who had experienced a temporary cleansing from sin, now had their sins paid in full by Christ! After Jesus died, He went to paradise (as promised to the thief), and prepared the OT saints for what would take place next. We looked at this in some detail when we dealt with Hebrews 2:10, so I will only touch the main points here.
Matthew tells us this: “50. And Jesus having cried out again with a loud voice, He yielded the spirit; 51. And, behold, the veil of the temple was torn into two from the top to the bottom, and the earth was shaken and the rocks were split; 52. And the graves were opened, and many [all18] bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep, were raised, 53. And did come out of the graves after His resurrection; they did enter into the holy city, and appeared unto many (Matthew 27:50-53, literal).19 As I noted in our consideration of Hebrews 2, these are the OT saints (from paradise) whose sins were now remitted completely through Christ, and who were raised in their glorified bodies when Jesus was raised from the dead.
Paul declared: “6. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord … 8. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6, 8). Under the NC, paradise is no longer used for the righteous dead; now, although those who are righteous before God do not receive their glorified bodies immediately when they die, their souls do go to be with the Lord – their bodies awaiting a future date for resurrection.
“15. This we are saying to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are living, who are surviving, unto the coming of the Lord will not precede those who sleep. 16. Because the Lord, Himself, with a shouted command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, will descend from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise first, 17. Then we who are living, who are surviving, together with them, will be taken away in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, literal).20 It is at the sound of the trumpet that “the dead will be raised immortally, and we will be changed. 53. It is necessary for this perishable to put on incorruptibility, and this mortal to put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:52b-53. literal).21 The rapture (when we are taken away, as spoken of here) is when the bodies of the righteous dead will be raised, and, together with those who are still living, their bodies will become glorified like the Lord’s: “we understand that when He will be revealed, like Him we will be, because we will see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2b, literal).22 The NC includes our souls being with the Lord when we die, and receiving glorified bodies when He comes for the full harvest of souls (the rapture).
The writer wants his Hebrew readers to begin to understand what Christ accomplished forever, even as it was foreshadowed in the layout and the priestly activities in the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. However, he is aware that their full comprehension of the reality of the NC will be hindered by the existence of the physical temple.
9. Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 10. Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
9. Which [is] a figure until the present time, according to which both gifts and sacrifices are being offered that are not able, regarding the conscience, to complete the one who is offering; 10. only on the basis of foods and drinks, also various washings and regulations of the flesh that are being imposed until the appointed time of reformation (literal).23
The temple (the first tabernacle) was a picture of the heavenly, and that was its function; coupled with the Law of Moses, the problem of sin was something that was very clear. The Law provided the evidence of sin, and the priests and sacrificial system afforded a means of temporary cleansing from sin; what was emphasized was the inability of the individual to come into the presence of the Lord – the cleansing from sin was only accomplished through the intercessory work of the priests, and, even more particularly, by the high priest once each year. This was a complex system of regulations and ordinances that needed to be kept, and the inevitable failure of the people provided the priests with steady employment. Nevertheless, all of this looked ahead to the Promised Redeemer Who would make a final sacrifice for sin, and through Him would come access to the Father – this would see the removal of the figure in favor of the NC reality. It’s really no wonder that the Jews had such difficulty understanding and accepting the finished work of Christ: their tradition demanded so much of them including faith to appropriate cleansing from sin; now, faith in Christ brought cleansing without all of the rituals. All that they needed was to turn from a required obedience to the Law and sacrifices for their failures, to obedience to the Law of God with the help of the Spirit of God.
The writer summarizes the temple activities as the offering of gifts and sacrifices: the former being the freewill offerings given to the Lord, and the latter, the atonement for sins committed. It seems that the sacrifices would far outnumber the gifts that were given; yet, despite the many sacrifices, they could never bring complete forgiveness of sin.
Then the writer refers to the Law of Moses: foods, drinks, washings, and regulations of the flesh; the Law was filled with everything that governed the daily life of every Israelite. To live a life that was pleasing to the Lord, there was a need for priestly guidance, and their work to cleanse the sin that condemned every individual before the Lord.
All of this temple activity was to continue until the appointed time of reformation. Our English word reformation does not quite catch the central thought of the Greek diorthosis, from which it is translated; we think of reformation as being the remaking or reworking of what already exists.24 However, diorthosis describes a right arrangement or a new order of things; not a new look to an old tradition, but something that is brand new that replaces the old.25 The writer has included a reminder here that the OC was inadequate, and adds that its demands were in place until a particular point in time – a time that had been determined by God. At that certain time, the OC would cease to exercise control, and God would replace it with a NC. God made the OC obsolete (Hebrews 8:13); it was not remodeled, or updated – it was replaced! To the Ephesians, Paul declared that Christ did abolish the OC (the Law of commandments in the ordinances); the Greek word is katargesas, which means to render ineffective, to do away with, or to bring to an end.26 Christ abolished the OC of the Jew and Gentile (the clean and unclean), in order to make one new man in Himself (Ephesians 2:15)! The OC was not reformed – it was removed!
The writer has made it very clear that the OC of the temple, priests and sacrifices has come to an end; they were never able to bring an end to sin, and he makes it clear that it was God’s determination that it would end at the time that He had appointed. That time came when Jesus shed His blood for the payment of sins, and rose again to bring new life to those who place their faith in Him – the New Covenant!
Man’s theologies have done so much to confuse the truth that the writer of Hebrews is endeavoring to make abundantly clear. Some claim that the OC traditions will be reinstituted during the Millennium as a memorial of what Christ has done.27 Still others believe that although we are enjoying some of the blessings of the NC today, its fullness is intended for Israel during the Millennium.28 The writer has made it very clear that the OC has ended (not just for now, but completely), and that the NC is in place (not in part, but the whole!). When theology takes priority over the voice of Scripture, that’s when Satan is more than willing to lend a hand at creating a justification for whatever variant that man desire that will take him away from God’s Word. The writer faced the same thing with the Hebrews; they had been steeped in their Judaism, and that option was still available to them as the temple was still standing; hence his careful attention to details as he seeks to draw the Jews out of their OC thinking, and into a new life in Christ.
11. But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
And Christ did come, a High Priest of the good things that are coming by means of a great and perfect tabernacle, not made by hand – this means, not of this creation (literal).29
The writer has already provided evidence that Jesus became a High Priest according to the nature of Melchizedek, and not the Levitical priesthood. He now introduces a somewhat different perspective on Christ as our High Priest, drawing upon the heavenly origin for all that is coming.
The earthly high priest worked in the physical tabernacle/temple that had been built by men after the pattern that was given to Moses. Although we are told of the Lord’s careful instructions to Moses that everything was to be made according to His revealed patterns, we really do not understand the heavenly context for what was constructed until we read of what John saw when he was taken, in the spirit, into heaven. The writer is lifting the veil just a little bit to draw on the presence of the Father as being the source for all of the coming good things that are included in the NC.
We have learned of the hope that we have as followers of Christ: He is our Hope, and we need to pay particular heed that we do not turn away from Him and become apostate (Hebrews 3:12); it is only as we remain faithfully in Him unto the end, that we are assured of salvation (Matthew 24:13). We have also seen that those who are apostate (in the true, Biblical understanding of this word) no longer have any hope in Christ (Hebrews 6:4-6), and as we considered this tragedy, we noted that our hope is of being with Him forever (John 14:3). The writer has made it very clear that Christ, as the Son of God and our High Priest, is the only means of reaching our hope, and we are challenged to retain a firm hold on our faith in Him, for He is our High Priest Who is now abiding in heaven (Hebrews 4:14) and interceding for us (Hebrews 7:25). Jesus said, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you” (John 16:7). The Comforter, the Spirit of God, is our Guide and Instructor; we have learned that under the NC, God has put His Laws (the Ten Commandments) into our minds and written them upon our hearts (Hebrews 8:8-12), and, with the Spirit abiding within (Romans 8:9), He is able to use God’s Laws to instruct and guide us through life. God has provided us with all that we need in order for us to succeed in Christ – our part is to continually seek His truth (we are to be growing in Him, 2 Peter 3:18) and to live in obedience to His commands (John 14:15). There is simply no other way to be regarded as righteous before the Lord!
Christ, as our High Priest, did no work in the earthly temple; after shedding His blood for sin, He entered into the presence of God in heaven – the temporal was abandoned in favor of the eternal, that which was not made by man. Therefore, Christ’s atonement is eternal and complete.
12. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He did enter into the Holies once for all: He obtained eternal redemption (literal).30
The writer is moving on to look at the work of Christ as our High Priest. The Levitical high priest would enter into the Most Holy Place with the blood of a bullock (calf) to atone for his sins and those of his household, followed by the blood of a goat to atone for the sins of the people. That was the tradition of the Day of Atonement that was instituted from Mt. Sinai. Jesus, Who was without sin, shed His own blood for the atonement of all sin, and He is now in the presence of the Father as the perfect Lamb Who gave His life for sin: “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne … stood a Lamb as it had been slain …” (Revelation 5:6).
Jesus, Who was the Sacrifice for our sin and Who is our High Priest, entered into the presence of His Father in heaven, not to sprinkle a few drops of blood, but as the Sacrifice presented to God, a sweet-smelling savor. The mission of redemption that had been arranged before creation (Revelation 13:8), had been accomplished and it was perfect, offering complete redemption from sin to those who would come in faith by the Way of Christ. The writer has emphasized that the atonement for sin under the OC was never complete; the Day of Atonement was an annual event, showing that it was not an end, but only a figure of the atonement that was to come through the Promised One. Redemption is now complete, and it is eternal: it is there for those whose faith accounts them as righteous before God, from Adam through to the last person born during the Millennium. We’ve already seen how the sins of the OT saints were completely remitted by the blood of Christ, and they are now in heaven in their glorified bodies – the firstfruit of the harvest to Christ (Revelation 14:4). Now, the souls of those who are righteous in Christ, when they die physically, enter into His presence awaiting the day when He will call for the resurrection of their bodies to be united with their souls, and they abide with Him in immortality (the full harvest, the rapture; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). At the end of the Millennium, those who were born during this time and who are in Christ and have their names recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life, will be resurrected to stand before God at the Great White Throne judgment, and will be ushered into eternal glory (their names being in the Book of Life) – the gleanings of the harvest, but no less a part of the final harvest (Leviticus 23:22; Revelation 20:12, 15). All of these are beneficiaries of the eternal redemption that Christ established through His shed blood.
13. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
13. For since the blood of bulls and goats [brought cleansing from sin], and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the defiled is purifying to the cleansing of the flesh, 14. How much more surely the blood of Christ (Who through the eternal Spirit did present Himself without blemish to God) will cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the God Who is living (literal).
We have heard much regarding the blood of bulls and goats being used to bring a temporary cleansing from sin, and the blood of both was essential on the Day of Atonement. However, beyond that, we are now introduced to the ashes of a heifer that are used for cleansing the flesh.
“1. And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 2. This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke: 3. And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, that he may bring her forth without the camp, and one shall slay her before his face: 4. And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times: 5. And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn: 6. And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer … 9. And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin” (Numbers 19:1-6, 9).
The ashes of the heifer, along with cedar, hyssop and scarlet (generally considered to be dyed wool) served a very different purpose from the blood of bulls and goats. If someone touched a dead body, or anything associated with such, he was unclean for a period of seven days (Numbers 19:16). In such a case, some of these ashes were mixed with fresh water (making the water of separation, or the water to remove impurity), and on the third day and the seventh day was sprinkled upon the one who had become defiled, the place where the dead person had died, and all of the furnishings thus defiled, and everyone/everything would be clean (Numbers 19:18-19).31 The ashes were used to bring cleansing from defilement, and not from sin; sin, as we have learned, requires the shedding of blood. However, even with the red heifer, there is an acknowledgement that the purification that would come through this particular sacrifice, needed the blessing of the Lord. As the red heifer was killed outside of the camp, some of her blood was sprinkled toward the tabernacle seven times, thereby indicating that the Lord was central to this as well (Numbers 19:4).32 The heifer was then burned, and cedar, hyssop and scarlet (wool) were added to the fire, so that the ashes were comprised of all four. These ashes were then stored in a clean place outside of the camp; the whole process was accomplished away from the camp of the Israelites. Then, whenever anyone was in contact with a dead body, the place or furnishings where someone had died, a bone, or a grave, their cleansing from such uncleanness came not through a sin-offering, but by being sprinkled with the water of separation (fresh water mixed with some of the ashes) in the prescribed manner.
Shed blood is necessary to atone for sins; it is what is required in order to provide a covering for sin before a holy God – a covering that is only effective when it is accepted by faith in the Lord. On the Day of Atonement, blood was shed for the sins of the high priest and the people – it provided a covering for sin when it was accepted in faith. However, the Day of Atonement did something else as well: “For on that day shall the priest make an atonement [kaphar; cover, pacify] for you, to cleanse [taher; purify] you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD” (Leviticus 16:30).33 By faith, not only were sins forgiven, but also a personal purification took place on the Day of Atonement: everyone could have his sins forgiven and be purified before the Lord. Following the Day of Atonement, sinful acts would, once again, require the shed blood of a sacrifice to bring forgiveness, but different rituals were prescribed for an impurity, along with differing requirements depending on the source of the uncleanness. For most daily living situations (like touching something unclean), water was the primary cleansing agent. However, an impurity because of contact with the dead (body, bone, or grave), the ritual that we have just looked at (the ashes of the red heifer) was called into play. This kind of cleansing was required for the individual, and also for those things that had been in contact with the dead (Numbers 19:18).
The blood of bulls and goats brought a covering for sin, and the ashes of a red heifer could bring purification to those who had been made unclean by contact with the dead (lesser cases of uncleanness were attended to with water). The writer uses this to stand in contrast to what Christ has accomplished for those who are His.
The high priest, under the OC, would present the blood of a bull and goat in the presence of God (in the Holy of Holies) in order to provide a temporary covering for sin to all who in faith identified with the sacrifice being made. On the other hand, Christ, Who is the Son of God, with the Spirit of God, did present Himself without blemish to God (notice that the Father, the Son and the Spirit are all at work here; a subtle expression of the Trinity to those who held to only one God); after bearing the sin of the world, Christ remained without blemish – He bore the sin even as He remained sinless.
The blood that Jesus shed for the sins of humanity will purify our minds (that place where we make decisions) so that our choices will be to serve the Lord. “Therefore, I urge you, brethren, through the mercies of God, offer your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God – your rational service” (Romans 12:1, literal).34 Our text speaks of being purified so that we serve the God Who is living: a living sacrifice serving a living God – how appropriate! Because of the mercy of God that comes to us through Christ’s sacrifice, the only rational thing is for us to serve Him!
We see here the change that takes place when faith in Christ enters the heart: we move from dead works to serve the living God. There must be a “from/to”: “… ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9b); “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:13). We have been delivered from sin, and so we must live according to the new life that we have in Christ (Romans 6:22); Jesus said, “If ye love Me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15) – from sin to obedience! The blood of Jesus has purified our minds so that we desire to follow Him; “ye must remain in Me, and I in you …” (John 15:4a). However, we also live in a time of apostasy when many “shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:4). What is clear is that we cannot live in Christ and in the world at the same time – it is either one or the other, never both! “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). We have the Law of God in our minds and written upon our hearts, the Spirit of God is abiding within, and both the Spirit and Jesus are interceding for us: we are fully equipped to stand in the face of any attack by Satan (Ephesians 6:13). However, if we lose our focus on the Lord (Hebrews 12:2), then the tribulations (John 16:33) and persecutions (2 Timothy 3:12) that we have been promised may cause us to turn away from Him into apostasy. We must count the cost of following the Lord so that we are prepared to face the trials that will come our way (Luke 14:33), and remain steadfast in Him (1 Corinthians 15:58).
15. And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
And because of this, He is the Mediator of a New Covenant, so that from death came a release from the transgressions during the first covenant, [and that] the promise of the everlasting inheritance should be received by those who have been invited (literal).35
It is because of His superior sacrifice for sins that Jesus is the Mediator of the NC; because He is God and remained without sin even as He bore the sins of all of humanity, He is amply qualified to mediate the NC. The OC was mediated through Moses, and it became the responsibility of the Levitical priests to be the bridge between God and the children of Israel. The NC is God (in Christ) paying the price for sin so that all sinners might be reconciled to Him through faith in His sacrifice. This same faith was required under the OC, and so every OT saint is someone who had exercised faith in the shed blood of their sacrifices to provide a covering for their sins (albeit, temporarily) – a figure of the blood shed by Christ.
The writer points out that the NC has done two things, and the first dealt specifically with the OT saints: 1) by the death of the Lord Jesus came the release for the sins that had been temporarily covered by the blood of the saints’ sacrifices; 2) Jesus’ promise that “where I am, ye are also” (John 14:3b, literal),36 speaks of the coming inheritance that is ours in Him. We’ve already looked at the release that Jesus’ death brought to the OT saints, and that they were raised in immortality when He rose from the grave – their salvation was now complete because the price of their sins was paid in full.
Let’s consider the second point for a moment. As Jesus spoke with His disciples about what was ahead, He said that He would go away in order to prepare a place for them, and then return for them, so that they could be together (John 14:2-3). We are told that the promised inheritance is in Christ (Ephesians 1:11) and that the Spirit of God has been given to us as a deposit toward that inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14). Peter describes this inheritance this way: “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you …” (1 Peter 1:4) – an everlasting inheritance, indeed! This is the destiny of which Jesus spoke to His disciples, but we must not neglect to consider how He prefaced this wonderful promise: “Do not let your heart be troubled; ye are believing in God, also in Me ye must be believing (John 14:1, literal).37 Faith in the Lord is the premise upon which this inheritance rests; the believing that Jesus mentioned is one that is presently active. Faith is the conviction that is founded upon such an active belief: we are in Christ through such a belief, but we must never forget the warning that this writer has given: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12). Being in Christ, that place of inheritance, requires us to be constantly vigilant, lest we should let our faith slip.
The writer goes on to say that this everlasting inheritance should be received by those who have been invited. Who are those who have been invited to come to the Mediator? Jesus said, “16. For thus God did love humanity, so that His only begotten Son He did give in order that everyone who is believing in Him will not perish but is having life everlasting, 17. For God did not send His Son into the world in order to condemn the world, but in order to save the world through Him (John 3:16-17, literal).38 God’s love is for all of humanity; Jesus’ purpose in coming to this earth was to open a way of salvation for all of humanity (the world). Who is invited? Everyone who has been born, or will be born, into this world! John spoke of this reality: “And He is the means of forgiveness for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for all of humanity (1 John 2:2, literal).39 All of humanity has been invited to the Mediator to receive forgiveness of sins!
The promise of everlasting inheritance is for everyone, but the writer notes that this promise should be received by those who are invited, not that it will be received. Received is in the subjunctive mood in the Greek, which means that this may or may not take place, and, as is so often the case with this mood, there is a choice to be made. Everyone has been invited to the salvation that Jesus has purchased, but not everyone will choose to place their faith in the Lord so that they will, in fact, be in Christ and eligible for the inheritance that He makes available to us.
One further word of warning: a single choice made to place our faith in the Lord is not sufficient to inherit the Lord’s salvation. What Jesus made abundantly clear is that our believing in Him must be continuous (it is in the present tense). To His disciples, the believing is in the imperative mood (it is a command; John 14:1), and the everyone to whom Jesus said that he will not perish, is the one who is believing (present tense, a continuous action) in Him. Jesus also stated: “And the one who endures unto the end, this is the one who will be saved” (Matthew 24:13, literal);40 endures (hupomeno) means to remain faithful to the Lord in the face of trials – obedient in all things.41 We must remind ourselves: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12). We must be careful lest our faith fails; “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).
16. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
16. For where there [is] a last will and testament, the death of the one who made the will must be established. 17. For a last will and testament for the dead [is] certain, since it is never in force while the one who made the will is living (literal).42
The writer digresses for a moment into dealing with the human document of a last will and testament. The essence of it is this: a will is only in force when the one who made it, is dead. It is a means by which the desires of the dead can be fulfilled after he is gone. While the testator (the one who makes the will) is still alive, his last will and testament has no bearing; it is only with the certainty of his death that his will comes into force. The writer will use this as an illustration for his next point.
18. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
Wherefore, not even the first [covenant] was put into effect without blood (literal).43
The writer has gone back to the main subject at hand: the first covenant, i.e., the OC. Like a last will and testament, the OC required death in order to be instituted; the shedding of blood, which was central to the covering of sin, was an essential element in the establishment of the OC.
19. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, 20. Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
19. For by Moses, who did speak every commandment of the Law to all of the people, the blood of calves and goats was taken with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, not only the book [of the Law] itself but also all of the people he did sprinkle, 20. saying, “This [is] the blood of the covenant, which God did ordain for you” (literal).44
This is referencing the following: “7. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. 8. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words” (Exodus 24:7-8). What is not found in the Exodus passage is Moses sprinkling the book of the covenant with the blood. Some contend that the book should not have needed to be sprinkled with blood because it was the word of God. However, we read that this took place on the Day of Atonement: “Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness” (Leviticus 16:15-16). Even the most sacred place in the tabernacle needed cleansing through the sprinkling of blood, even though it was never seen by any of the children of Israel, except the high priest, and then only one day each year. It would certainly not be out of character to have the covenant sprinkled with blood, and this is not the only occasion when the NT writers record details that are not in our OT. We noted this in our consideration of Hebrews 1:6, and found that, in this case, the quotation came from the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew OT).45
What is missing from the Hebrew account of this occasion, is the hearty acceptance of the Lord’s covenant by the children of Israel – they committed themselves to obey the Lord’s commands! We understand from the OT that the sprinkling of blood was used to sanctify or make holy. “And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him” (Exodus 29:21; cp. Leviticus 8:30). Aaron, as high priest, and his sons, as priests, were set apart, or made holy (hallowed), for their responsibilities in the tabernacle by being sprinkled with blood and oil – the former for their cleansing from sin, and the latter as being commissioned to their responsibilities in the tabernacle. Therefore, the blood was sprinkled upon the children of Israel to signify that they were set apart unto the Lord; they had verbally accepted God’s covenant, and the sprinkling of blood confirmed it. The sprinkling of blood was an essential part of the priests’ responsibilities in mediating the covering of sin for the children of Israel.
21. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
And also he did sprinkle with blood the tabernacle and all the vessels of service in the same way (literal).46
We read that the sprinkled blood of the goat in the Holy of Holies made an atonement for it (Leviticus 16:15-16); the high priest then took the blood of the bullock and goat to the altar of burnt sacrifices that stood outside of the sanctuary, and, with that blood, sanctified it (Leviticus 16:18-19). The sprinkling of blood was used to sanctify an object: whether the priests and their garments, the mercy seat in atonement for the sins of the people and for the cleansing of the Holy place, or even the altar of burnt offerings, where blood was shed on a regular basis to the Lord.
22. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
And according to the Law, almost everything is purified by blood, and without the shedding of blood, no pardon comes (literal).47
A little earlier we learned that even the Holy sanctuaries were purified by the sprinkling of blood, made necessary because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel (Leviticus 16:16). Even though only the priests entered into the Holy Place, and the high priest alone into the Holy of Holies, because the tabernacle was in the midst of an unclean people, it, too, needed to be purified, and that purification came through shed blood.
However, we have also learned of the ashes of the red heifer that were mixed with fresh water to bring purification from any contact with the dead. Other uncleanness, such as being in contact with unclean creeping things, was removed by simply washing with water, and, after sundown, cleanness was restored (Leviticus 11:23-25). Nevertheless, whenever sin was to be dealt with, the shedding of blood was required; water was used only for purification from what was defined as being unclean within the OC – indeed, almost everything is purified by blood.
The writer reminds his Hebrew readers that remission (pardon) only comes through shed blood. The Greek word is aphesis, which means the cancellation of a debt, or forgiveness of sins (within our context). All through the OT, and particularly throughout the time of the OC, pardon for sins came through the blood of a sacrifice. Sins were never overlooked; it took the shed blood to provide the required covering for sin in order to receive God’s favor. All of the OT sacrifices foreshadowed the coming of the Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15) Who would offer Himself as the perfect Sacrifice and make the final payment for sin – the fulfillment of the OT foreshadowing!
23. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Therefore, indeed, [it was] necessary to cleanse these images of the things in the heavens, and the heavenly things with better sacrifices than these (literal).48
Moses received the Lord’s instructions to be sure that the tabernacle and all of its furnishings and utensils were made according to the pattern that He had given to him on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 25:9, 40). The Lord issued the caution, but we don’t read anywhere that Moses understood that the tabernacle was an earthly image of a heavenly reality. We read of the Lord speaking with Moses from between the two cherubim that spread their wings over the mercy seat within the Holy of Holies (Exodus 25:22), and that the Lord was enthroned upon the cherubim (1 Samuel 4:4);49 within the tabernacle, this was the Holiest because of the Lord’s presence. Despite this, the Day of Atonement included a cleansing for this Holy Place (Leviticus 16:16); even though access was greatly restricted, the uncleanness of the children of Israel came through the priests who were sinners, just like everyone else. The high priest was required to make a cleansing for his own sins first by sprinkling the blood of a bullock, and then he could seek atonement for the sins of the people by sprinkling the blood of a goat (Leviticus 16:11, 14-15). The cleansing for sin always required shed blood.
On the Day of Atonement, the earthly required the shed blood of a bullock and goat to bring a covering for sin for another year. By contrast, the writer tells us that the heavenly, after which the earthly was patterned, required much better sacrifices, which he will now explain.
24. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
For Christ did not enter into the Holies made by hands, copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear before God for us (literal).50
When Jesus died, the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place, was torn from top to bottom (Mark 15:38), signifying that God had opened the way into His presence through the shed blood of Christ and His willing payment for the sins of humanity (death). Jesus told His disciples that He was the only Way to the Father (John 14:6), and that was now fully accomplished. The torn veil symbolized the end of the earthly rituals that were used to provide a temporary covering for sin; the temple was still standing, and the religious Jews continued their traditions, not realizing that their activities had been ended. Jesus entered into the presence of His Father in heaven, and He did so as the perfect Lamb of God Who willingly gave His life in payment for the sins of all of humanity. He stands before God as evidence that the price for all of sin has been paid in full!
Jesus told His disciples: “ye must remain in Me, and I in you” (John 15:4a, literal); He went on to clarify: “if My commandments ye obey [tereo], then ye will remain in My love” (John 15:10a, literal).51 Jesus said that it is vitally important that we remain in Him, and we will remain in Him if we are living in obedience to His commands. Jesus now stands in the presence of His Father as evidence that the price for sin has been paid in full; as we remain in Him, He is our Representative (our Mediator) with the Father. “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth [tereo, is obeying] not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4); remaining in Christ is accomplished only through obedience to His commands. As we live in faithful obedience to the Lord’s commands, we are remaining (abiding) in Him Who is now in the presence of God in heaven! Moreover, as we are abiding in Him, He promised that He would abide in us: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another [allos, another of the same kind] Comforter [the Spirit of God, just like the Son of God], that he may abide [will abide, the subjunctive mood (of abide) in a purpose clause identifies intent: it is God’s intent that the Spirit will remain in us forever] with you for ever” (John 14:16).52 Therefore, as we remain faithfully obedient to the Lord, we abide in Him, and such faithful obedience also ensures that the Spirit of God (another Comforter like unto the Son of God) will remain in us.
However, that does not permit us to remain blissfully ignorant of what the Lord desires of us: if we don’t know the Lord’s commands, then we cannot know when we are disobedient, and so all is okay. The writer of Hebrews has already chastened those who are too lazy to grow spiritually (Hebrews 5:11-14). Everyone enters into the new life in Christ much like a newborn, but to remain in that state is, itself, disobedience: “As newborn babies, ye must desire the pure spiritual milk, so that in it ye will grow” (1 Peter 2:2, literal).53 Why would we even want to remain ignorant of the desires of the One Who paid the price for our deliverance from sin? A slave works in service to the one who owns him, and a faithful slave will get to know his master’s desires so that he is able to serve him better; Jesus bought us out of sin – He owns us!! We come to Him as infants, and He will feed us milk, not so that we will make it our permanent diet, but that through the milk we will grow in Him so that we are able to handle solid food. It is as we grow in Him that we will be able to discern between good and evil (Hebrews 5:14); the Spirit within us is endeavoring to be our guide into all truth (John 16:13), something that will require spiritual maturity to fully comprehend. We must note that Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6) – the Spirit is working to increase our understanding of our Savior, something that will only be accomplished through faithful obedience!
25. Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26. For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
25. So that He is not presenting Himself often, as the high priest entering into the Holies with another’s blood, 26. Else, He must have suffered often from the beginning of the world; but He has now been revealed at the end of this time, for the removal of sin, once for all, through His sacrifice (literal).54
This follows the declaration that the presence of God in heaven is graced with a better sacrifice than the earthly image, and that Jesus did not enter into the earthly Holies, but into the presence of God in heaven. The writer now provides an explanation as to how the heavenly sacrifices are better than the earthly.
Firstly, the sacrifice that Jesus made for sin is eternal (Hebrews 9:12). Unlike the earthly high priest who had to annually seek atonement from the Lord for his sins and the sins of the people, the shed blood of Jesus was the final payment for sin! Jesus’ sacrifice was one time, and the release from sin that it brings is forever. The high priest would sprinkle blood upon the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies for atonement for sins (first for his, and then for the people); Jesus shed His blood, and is now our eternal High Priest in heaven according to the pattern of Melchizedek. Paul wrote: “[Christ Jesus] Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation [hilasterion] through faith in his blood …” (Romans 3:25a);55 the word of interest here is propitiation, which is defined as “the act of appeasing [or calming] wrath.”56 The shedding of blood to cover sin followed the Lord’s example in the Garden when He made coats of skins for Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21). “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof [sin] thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17); sin brought death, and the shedding of blood (death) provided a covering for sin. The high priest entered the Holiest and sprinkled blood upon the mercy seat (the cover on the Ark of the Covenant), in the presence of Jehovah on the Day of Atonement. The Greek translation of the Hebrew kapporeth (mercy seat) is the word hilasterion – the place where the wrath of God is appeased, and it comes through the sprinkling of blood. Paul declares that Jesus is the Mercy Seat (Hilasterion) where the wrath of God is appeased for those who place their faith in Him.
Secondly, the high priest entered the Holiest with the blood of a bullock (for his own and his family’s sins) and the blood of a goat (for the sins of the people). The sacrifice had to be made annually using the blood of animals, and, although the animals were without blemish, such blood could never make a full payment for the sins of humanity (Hebrews 10:4). Jesus became our Sacrifice (the perfect Lamb of God); He shed His blood for deliverance from sin, and willingly relinquished His life thereby bearing the full payment for the consequence of sin: death (Romans 6:23). Truly, Jesus is the only Place where the wrath of God against sin is appeased – He is our eternal Mercy Seat (Hilasterion). “For God did not destine us unto wrath but unto the possession of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9, literal).57 Jesus shed His Own blood: a perfect offering for the sins of humanity made by the Son of Man, and so, in fulfillment of the redemptive plan of God, a final and eternal payment for sin was made. Salvation is available to everyone (John 3:16), yet Jesus remains the only Gate that opens to salvation: “For narrow [is] the gate and restrictive the way that is leading to life, and few are finding it (Matthew 7:14, literal).58 Since Jesus, as our Mercy Seat, has won pardon from sin for all people, why will only a few find it? Because access to the pathway of life is Narrow and the pathway, itself, is restrictive. Jesus is that Narrow Gate, and the only Gate, that opens onto the pathway of life (John 14:6), and He has made it very clear that the journey to life can only be taken through faithful, enduring obedience to His commands (it is very restrictive; John 14:15, 21). Few find the Lord because they consider Him to be one way of many, or if they do find the Narrow Gate, then the cost of following His Way causes them to fall away. Jesus is the living Way to the Father, and, as such, He defines how that way must be travelled in order to arrive at the salvation that He has purchased.
The difficulty for most Evangelicals is that they have embraced a theology for their salvation, rather than exploring the Word of the Author of salvation. They hear this: pray a prayer for salvation, and your eternal destiny with Christ is guaranteed – it sounds so easy, but Christ did not teach this, and therein is the problem. They utter a prayer of faith to the Lord requesting His salvation, but their theology (or favored teacher) does not tell them that this is only the beginning – and not the end. They hear nothing of the need for faithful obedience to the Lord; many are convinced that there are no commands for us since, after all, we are not under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14). Evangelicals, for the most part, are either spiritually lazy and remain content with what they’ve been told, or they read the Scriptures with calloused eyes so that they are unable to see the Truth. Either way, they never come to know the Lord or His requirements for the Way to life; they have been deceived into believing a lie: they think that they are on their way to heaven, even as they walk the broad road that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13).
The writer tells us that Jesus has been revealed at the end of this time. As Jesus was taken to trial before Pilate by the religious Jews, they either had no idea as to Who He was, or they refused to accept Him. In fact, they accused Him of blasphemy and used His confession as to His identity as evidence against Him (Matthew 26:63-65). Even though His eleven knew that He was the promised Christ, even they did not know what that meant for them (John 6:69). It was not until after He was ascended to heaven that the truth of what He had accomplished began to be revealed. What time had come to an end? It was the time when the OC was in effect; with the NC of Christ now in place, the OC was obsolete (Hebrews 8:13). The mystery of Christ, which had been hidden all through the OT, was now being made plain (Colossians 1:26-27). It is through the sacrifice that Christ made that the OC is removed (Ephesians 2:12-14), the Jew and the Gentile are now equal (Galatians 3:28), and there is now one new man in Him (Ephesians 2:15): all of the faithful of all ages are now joined together by the One Who has paid the price for their sins.
Jesus came at the appointed time (Galatians 4:4), and, through His sacrifice, removed the condemnation of sin with finality. “Now, therefore, [there is] no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus; who are not living according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1, literal).59 However, we are reminded again that this place of no condemnation is for those who are abiding in Christ Jesus – something that can only be kept through faithful obedience to our Lord. Scripture is very clear, the Way to life is restricted: there is a prescribed way to walk this pathway, and the terms are not negotiable. Man’s theological musings do not change what God has made clear; such musings only reveal man’s calloused, sinful heart.
27. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
27. And inasmuch as it is certain for men to die once, and after this – judgment; 28. so Christ, Who was once offered to bear the sins of all, a second time, without any relation to sin, will appear to those who are eagerly waiting for salvation (literal).60
It is said that there are two certainties in this world: death and taxes, and this would affirm the former. It is sure that everyone is destined to die; the Lord told Adam that if he ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, then “thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17b). As Adam and Eve ate of the tree, spiritual death was immediate (their relationship with their Creator was broken), and physical death became a certainty. Death is the destiny of everyone born into this world, and it is actually more certain than taxes.
Yes, there is an exception for one small group. “16. Because the Lord, Himself, with a shouted command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, will descend from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise first, 17. Then we who are living, who are surviving, together with them, will be taken away in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, literal).61 When the Lord returns in the clouds for the harvest of the saints (the rapture), those saints who are alive on the earth will be changed in an instant and caught up to be with Him forever (1 Corinthians 15:52-53) – these few will not experience physical death.
However, for the majority, death comes with great certainty. The writer states that after death comes judgment. To understand this fully, we need to consider how man was made by God. Man is a created being, made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), and is comprised of body, soul, and spirit (or breath). “And the LORD God formed man of the dust [loose earth] of the ground, and breathed [naphach, blew] into his nostrils the breath [neshamah] of life [chay or chiim (plural)]; and man became a living [chay or chie (singular)] soul [nephesh]” (Genesis 2:7).62 After forming the body of Adam from dust (the physical), God breathed into him the breath of lives: i.e., the soul (neshamah, spiritual life) and breath (ruach, physical life). As Solomon contemplated the mysteries of life, he wrote: “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit [ruach] shall return unto God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7).63 The body is from the ground and returns to it, and the breath returns to God Who loaned it to us for as long as He determines. Finally, we come to the soul (neshamah), the other life that God breathed into Adam, and that has been a part of everyone ever since. It is the soul that bears the image of God, and is the seat of the intellect, emotions, and reason; not surprisingly, the soul is everlasting.
When we come into this life, we are born body, soul and spirit (breath), and bear the image of God (Genesis 9:6). Jesus said this: “… Suffer [Allow] little children [paidion], and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14).64 Jesus identifies little children as being a part of His kingdom, and further states that “except ye be converted [strepho, turn (inwardly and outwardly)], and become as little children [paidion], ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).65 Not only are little children within His kingdom, but entrance into His kingdom requires everyone to make a complete change and to become like little children (fully dependent upon Him). We must understand this correctly; this does not mean that little children are born sinless, but what it does say is that until a child is able to understand right from wrong, he is not held responsible for his inherited sin. To be converted requires the ability to think, evaluate, and to reason, all of which are not possible for little children; therefore, Jesus’ further remark is directed at those who are no longer little children. Jesus also said that it is the one who is believing on Him who will not perish (John 3:16); believing (pisteuo) involves a serious examination of Who Jesus is and what He has done, and then to be persuaded that He is the Truth and the only Way to God. Such consideration is, again, impossible for little children who simply do not have the ability to think and reason, yet Jesus says that they are a part of His kingdom. From this we understand that there is something called an age of accountability – a time when there is an understanding of sin, and an ability to evaluate and choose.
The writer states that after death comes judgment. We’ve already considered the physical body and the breath at death, but there is nothing that could be construed as being judgment for these. Therefore, this has to do with the soul. The soul, as we noted earlier, is everlasting, and so it does not die with the death of the body – this is where the judgment comes. Today there are two possible destinations for the soul of every individual who dies: heaven or Hades, and it is God Who makes that judgment at the moment of death. Heaven is for the soul who has exercised faith in the Lord Jesus and has remained faithful to Him throughout life; Hades is for the soul who has done nothing regarding the Lord, or who has failed to remain faithful to Him. It is upon death that the Lord makes the irreversible and accurate judgment as to where the soul must go – death is the point of no return, and no change, for the soul. It is what has been done in this life that determines where the soul will go. Jesus said, “And the one to endure unto the end, this is the one who will be saved” (Matthew 24:13);66 endure (hupomeno) means to remain faithful (obedient) to the Lord unto the end (our death or His harvest time), despite the trials that will come. This is the soul who will find heaven awaiting him after death. The destiny of the soul is eternally determined at the moment of death, but it is what we do prior to our death that will seal its destiny (heaven or Hades).
The writer says that similar to us dying once, so Christ also died once, but for a very different reason. We die because that is the consequence of Adam’s sin: “12. Therefore, even as through one man [Adam] sin did enter into the world, and through sin, death, and so unto all men death came, on account of which, all did sin … 18. Consequently, as through one transgression, all men [are] in condemnation; even so through one righteous deed, [it is] unto all men justification of life (Romans 5:12, 18; literal).67 It is through Adam that death came for all men; Christ died once, thereby opening new life for all men who are alive on the earth.
Christ died once, but it was not as a consequence of His own sin; He was born without sin (not conceived by “Adam,” but by the Holy Spirit [Luke 1:35]), and He relinquished His life in payment for the sins of the world that were placed upon Him – He bore the sins of all (many). The Greek word for all, or many (as it shows in the KJV), is pollon, from polus, which typically is an exclusive word meaning many, but not all. However, we must consider the wider context of Scripture. Jesus said, “… and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world [all people]” (John 6:51); Paul wrote: “[Jesus] Who gave himself a ransom for all …” (1 Timothy 2:6); and John wrote: “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world [all of humanity]” (1 John 2:2).68 There is a “Semitic inclusive sense” to the word polus that must be applied when we are dealing with the saving work of Jesus.69 So, in our text, we must understand that Jesus bore the sins of all people, the whole of humanity, when He died; this is not based solely upon a Semitic inclusive sense of this Greek word, but on the clear message of God’s Word.
When Jesus came to earth the first time, He came to put an end to sin; the next time that He will appear, it will have nothing to do with sin, but He will come with full salvation for those who are His – those who are eagerly waiting for Him. “For our citizenship is in the heavens, from which also we are eagerly awaiting the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20, literal).70 Our citizenship is in heaven as long as we remain in Christ, and with such a glorious hope, we look forward to His coming with great anticipation. Jesus’ coming will be the fulfillment of His words to His disciples: “I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also (John 14:3b). Notice that Jesus says that He will receive you unto myself, those who are His and alive on earth when He comes, will not receive Him, but they will be taken up to be with Him. “26. And then shall they see [catch sight of] the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven” (Mark 13:26-27);71 the elect are those who are in Christ: it is those who are abiding faithfully in Christ who are the chosen of God (Ephesians 1:4). This is not an arbitrary selection made by God in eternity past (the Unconditional Election of Calvinism), but those who place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and remain in Him unto the end; keep in mind that our faithfulness to the Lord is expressed through our obedience to Him!
The writer tells us that the Lord will appear, or reveal Himself, to those who are looking forward to His coming; the rest of the world will come to see Him, but their response will be very different from that of the saints. To the saints, who are eagerly anticipating the coming of the Lord to receive them, the Lord will appear to them – He will open their eyes to see their Redeemer coming in the clouds; the Greek word is ophthesetai, and although it generally means to see, when it is in the passive voice (as here) it means to appear or to become visible.72 It is the Lord Who will show Himself to us (hence, the passive voice) before we, on our own, will see Him. John wrote of that day: “Behold, He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the peoples of the earth will mourn over Him. Truly, amen. (Revelation 1:7, literal).73 Everyone who is alive on earth will see Him; see is from the Greek opsetai, which has the same root meaning as ophthesetai, but is in the middle voice – they will see for themselves that it is the Lord coming in the clouds (the Lord will not appear, or make Himself known, to them, but they will see Him). They will see the Lord and will mourn (kopsontai, literally, to beat one’s breast in grief) because they will recognize Who He is and that they have no part with Him.74 Even those who pierced Him will see His return in the clouds; i.e., those who are in Hades, awaiting their final judgment, will witness the harvest of the saints of God. Notice that all the peoples of the earth will mourn; Jesus is coming for those who do not fit this description, but who are citizens of heaven in Him; those who are eagerly awaiting His full salvation!
Accordingly, it [the OC] also had the first tabernacle ordinances of service, and the earthly sanctuary (literal).1
The writer, having established that the OC has been replaced by the NC in Christ, now elaborates further on how the OC tabernacle/temple activities foreshadowed the True.
The writer has carefully explained that the OC was imperfect, which is why it has been replaced with a permanent NC. Paul also took time to explain the significant transition that took place through the work of Christ: “14. For He [Christ] is our peace Who did make both [the Jew and the Gentile] one, and the wall of division He did tear down, 15. by His flesh He did abolish the enmity, the Law of commandments in the ordinances, so that, in Himself, the two [the Jew and the Gentile] He did create into one new man, making peace, 16. And to reconcile both [the Jew and the Gentile] in one Body to God through the cross, having slain the enmity in Himself (Ephesians 2:14-16, literal).2 This is how the OC was ended and the NC was established; it is Christ Who, through His sacrifice, has brought into being one Body, the ekklesia – those who have placed their faith in Him and live in obedience to His commands (not the OC commands, but the Law of God – the Ten Commandments now written upon our hearts). This is a concise summary of what the writer has established to this point.
The OC had an earthly tabernacle that was made very carefully according to the pattern that Jehovah gave to Moses; this later became the temple that Solomon constructed, and still later, the temple built by Zerubbabel, to replace Solomon’s temple that had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. The tabernacle/temple contained two sanctuaries: a Holy Place where the priests attended to the seven lamps, the showbread and altar of incense; the second, separated from the first by a veil, was the Holy of Holies, where the presence of God dwelt between the cherubim on the mercy seat above the Ark of the Covenant, and into which the high priest would enter only one day each year. In front of the sanctuaries, the sacrifices were made for the sins of the Israelites (individually and corporately). The tabernacle/temple was the scene of continual activity by the priests as they sought to adhere to the OC requirements.
2. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
For the first tabernacle was prepared, which is called the Holy Place, in which [was] the lampstand and both the table and the presentation of the bread (literal).3
The Holy Place stood in front of the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, and although the priests could freely attend to the upkeep of this sanctuary, it was off-limits to everyone else. The writer mentions the lampstand, and the table with its bread arranged upon it; however, what is not noted here is the altar of incense that stood before the curtain that hid the Most Holy Place.
The lampstand, with its seven lamps that were to be kept continually burning (Leviticus 24:2), stood to the left, as you entered the Holy Place. Opposite to the lampstand was the table that held the “showbread” that was replaced every Sabbath (Leviticus 24:5-8; 1 Samuel 21:6).
If we consider what John saw when he was taken, in the spirit, into heaven, it will provide us with an eternal context for the furnishings of the Holy Place; remembering that the earthly tabernacle was made very carefully according to the pattern that the Lord revealed to Moses on Mt. Sinai. As John entered God’s heaven, he saw the throne, bearing the presence of God, and within sight of it were seven lamps burning, which he identifies as being the seven-fold Spirit of God (Revelation 4:5). In the Holy Place, in front of the Holy of Holies (the presence of God), stood the lampstand bearing seven lamps that were to be kept burning continually; indeed, the likeness to the heavenly is striking.
The table of showbread stands opposite to the lampstand, and it held twelve loaves of bread (made fresh every week) that were carefully arranged in two rows of six, with frankincense placed by each row (something else that is not mentioned). In the heavenly, we do not find the presence of bread, but we do find the Bread of Life (John 6:35). John tells us that, while still in the presence of God, his attention is directed toward a Lamb, Who appeared to have been slain, standing in the midst of God’s throne (Revelation 5:6) – the Bread of Life is there as the Lamb of God!
We can only speculate as to why the altar of incense has not been included; it was upon this altar that the priests would burn incense in their morning and evening rituals (Exodus 30:7-8). To understand the significance of the burning incense, we need to look to the heavenly: And the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints out of the hand of the angel before God (Revelation 8:4, literal).4 The smoke from the burning incense symbolizes the supplications of the saints coming before the Lord; that is an important picture within the sanctuary: the prayers of God’s people coming before Him every morning and evening. The altar of incense was where the people’s petitions came before the Lord, along with the assistance of two members of the Godhead: the Spirit (the seven lamps burning, the lampstand with its lamps continually burning, Romans 8:26) and Jesus Christ (the Bread of Life – the presented bread; 1 John 2:1). Each morning and evening, when the priest would go to burn incense upon the altar (symbolizing the prayers of the saints), he would pass between the lampstand and the table with the showbread: the light of the Spirit and the Bread of life!
3. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; 4. Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5. And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
3. And after the second veil, the second tabernacle called the Holy of Holies, 4. Having the golden censer and the ark of the covenant, which has been covered with gold on all sides, in which [is] the golden jar containing the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5. And above it the cherubim of glory that overshadow the mercy seat – regarding which, at the present time, it is not possible to speak in detail (literal).5
We are now taken beyond the veil into the inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, and, again, the furnishings are mentioned.
The first listed is the golden censer, which, strictly speaking, is a container that is used for burning incense.6 There are two Greek words that are translated as censer: thumiaterion and libanoton; the first comes from the burning of the incense (thumiao), the latter, from frankincense (libanos), which is one of the ingredients for the incense that was used in the tabernacle (Exodus 30:34-35).7 In our text, the Greek word is thumiaterion, and the majority of modern translations show this as being the golden altar of incense.8 However, God has told us very specifically where the altar of incense is placed within the tabernacle: “1. And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon … 6. And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee” (Exodus 30:1a, 6). The altar of incense, upon which the priests burned incense both morning and evening, was before the veil – on the same side of the veil as the table of showbread and the lampstand. The same modern translations that show the altar of incense in our text, also include the instructions in Exodus to place it before the veil; clearly, the altar of incense cannot be in two places at once – it stood before the veil within the Holy Place, and not in the Holy of Holies.
Although the golden censer was probably not kept in the Holy of Holies, it was an essential part of the high priest’s work on the Day of Atonement. His first responsibility was to scoop coals from the altar of incense into the censer, take handfuls of incense (which he would undoubtedly carry in a cup or bowl, since there were several of such within the Holy Place), and enter the Holy of Holies where he would place the incense upon the coals to produce a cloud of smoke that would cover the mercy seat (Leviticus 16:12-13).
The Ark of the Covenant was the primary furnishing of the inner holy sanctuary. It was an open box that was overlaid with gold, and which originally contained the tables of stone written on by God (Exodus 25:16), a jar of manna (Exodus 16:33), and Aaron’s rod that budded (Numbers 17:10). The lid of the Ark is called the mercy seat, and it is on this that the cherubim were set with their wings forming a covering for it; it was from between the cherubim that the Lord spoke with Moses (Exodus 25:22).
The writer will not go into detail regarding the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies at this time; what he wants the reader to have in mind is the essentials of the tabernacle in the matter of dealing with sin.
6. Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
And these, having been thus prepared, into the first tabernacle [the Holy Place] the priests were continually entering, performing the service (literal).9
The Holy Place was the scene of activity by the priests as they burned incense upon the altar of incense both morning and evening (Exodus 30:7-8), as they tended to the lamps to ensure that there was a continual light (Exodus 27:20-21), and, on a weekly basis, they replaced the showbread (Leviticus 24:5-8). This was what the Lord required, and it was the priests’ responsibility to attend to the Holy Place, that first sanctuary.
7. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
But into the second, only the high priest once each year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and the people’s sins of ignorance (literal).10
It was on the Day of Atonement that the high priest would enter into the Holy of Holies to make atonement for his sins, his family’s sins, and for the sins of the people. Although this is the only day of the year when entry into this inner sanctuary was permitted by the high priest, he actually entered it three times during this one day: the first was with coals of fire and handfuls of incense, which he would place upon the coals upon entering beyond the veil (Leviticus 16:12-13), the second time was with the blood of a bullock (for his and his family’s sins), to sprinkle it upon the mercy seat and in front of it (Leviticus 16:14), and the third time was with the blood of a goat, for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:15).
Although the blood was essential to bring the atonement for sin, the cloud of incense was also important, because without it hiding the mercy seat, the high priest would die (Leviticus 16:13). As we have already noted, the cloud of incense is symbolic of the prayers of the saints (Revelation 8:3-4; those whose faith is in the Lord and His promises). Before the high priest could atone for the sins of the people, he first dealt with his own sins and those of his household; the high priest (under the Levitical system) was a sinner, so he had to begin with personal cleansing, and only then was he able to make atonement for the people. However, the atonement for sin for the Israelites did not automatically fall upon all of them – it needed to be personally appropriated by faith in the Lord; the people had to be actively identifying with the atoning work of the high priest. Paul makes the case that Abraham was declared righteous by faith in the Lord (Romans 4:3-5), and since no one could keep the Law perfectly, it brought condemnation; the atoning work of the high priest affirmed the sins of everyone present, and it was only by faith in the Lord that that atoning work was able to bring cleansing to the individual.
It is interesting to note that the high priest had to make atonement for his own sins before he was able to do so for the people. We know that the priests had to be without blemish or defect (Leviticus 21:16-23), and it was after the high priest was cleansed before God of his own sin, that he was able to make the offering for the sins of the people. Not only did the sacrifice have to be “without blemish” (a phrase that is continually applied to the sacrificial animals), but the one who sprinkled the blood for the atonement also had to be physically whole and freshly cleansed from sin in order to bring atonement for the sins of the people. Although imperfectly, the high priest foreshadowed the coming of the sinless, perfect Lamb of God Who was a Sacrifice without blemish and a sinless High Priest Who made atonement for the sins of the whole world.
The writer of Hebrews adds a significant note regarding the sins of the people: they are sins of ignorance. Numbers 15:28 – “And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him.” However, “30. the soul that doeth ought presumptuously [in pride or arrogance11], whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off [given the death penalty] from among his people. 31. Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him” (Numbers 15:30-31).12 Under the OC, there was no sacrifice that could be made to bring cleansing from deliberate sin – for the one who showed contempt for the Lord; the warning that we have already considered is this: “Beware, brethren, that there never be in anyone of you a wicked heart of unbelief, to become apostate from the God Who is living” (Hebrews 3:12, literal).13 A wicked heart of unbelief describes someone who is not only in unbelief, but who is actively showing disdain for the Lord, who has despised the word of the LORD, and, for such a person who is apostate, there is no cleansing (Hebrews 6:4-6). On this, the OC and NC are in agreement.
8. The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
The Holy Spirit is making this clear: the Way of the sanctuaries has not yet been revealed, [while] the first tabernacle still has existence (literal).14
As we have noted before, this letter was written about the latter 60s AD, and the temple was still standing and in full use by the religious Jews. As we have endeavored to understand the significance of what was in the Holy Place, we looked at what John described as he was taken in the spirit into heaven. All of John’s writings were done in the 90s AD, after the temple and Jerusalem were completely destroyed by the Romans; therefore, the insight that we gained from John came after the first tabernacle had been removed.
When the writer says, the Way of the sanctuaries has not yet been revealed, he is simply stating that a full understanding of the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies will not come while the temple is standing. The existing physical structure and priestly activities hindered any desire among the Hebrews to consider the reality after which these things were patterned. It is as we consider the revelations of the heavenly that come through John’s writing of Revelation (some twenty years after the destruction of the temple), that we can begin to see how the earthly was a mere shadow of the true. The Way of the sanctuaries is revealed through Christ (Who is the Way), Who fulfilled the priestly activities of the sanctuaries and became the Way to the Father, which was appropriately illustrated by the tearing of the veil before the Holy of Holies.
During His ministry, Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one is coming to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6, literal).15 We must see this within its proper context to fully comprehend the enormity of what Christ accomplished for humanity. Even for the OT saints, Jesus was the only Way to the Father.
Abel, the second son of Adam and Eve; he and his brother, Cain, brought offerings to the Lord: Cain of the fruit of the ground, and Abel a lamb from his flock. What we do not read of in Scripture, but what evidently took place, is that Adam and Eve instructed their sons on what to offer to the Lord. You will recall that after the sin of Adam and Eve, the Lord sacrificed animals (their blood was shed) in order to provide them with coverings that were acceptable to Him; the pattern was established that in order to be approved of God (to receive His cleansing from sin), it was necessary to make an offering to Him that included shed blood and faith in Him. The fig leaves that Adam and Eve sewed together were not acceptable to the Lord – we cannot make a covering for sin that will gain the Lord’s approval. As Cain and Abel brought their offerings, Abel did so in keeping with the pattern that the Lord had established (the shed blood of a lamb), while Cain brought produce (following the pattern of the fig leaves). Notice Cain’s response when he realized that the Lord had accepted Abel’s offering, but rejected his: “But unto Cain and to his offering he [the Lord] had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell” (Genesis 4:5) – Cain was exceedingly angry!16 If Cain had been unaware of what the Lord required, he might have been confused by his rejection, and humbly sought the Lord as to what he had done wrong; his great anger tells us that he knew what was required, but chose to do it his way. Abel came to the Lord in faith and obedience, believing that his offering would bring a temporary covering for sin, and, indeed, his offering was accepted by the Lord. Jesus affirmed this reality by referring to Abel as being righteous (Matthew 23:35). Cain sought the same cleansing, but did not believe that the pattern of shed blood, established in the Garden, was the only way to garner the Lord’s approval – he did not accept the instruction of the Lord in this matter, and refused to obey Him. The animal sacrifices that were made to the Lord, before Mt. Sinai, all followed the pattern of shed blood being required in order to provide a covering for sin, and all pointed forward to the Promised One Who would come to make a final offering for sin. The promise was first made to the serpent (Satan) by the Lord in the Garden of Eden: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it [He, a masculine pronoun] shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15).17 The shed blood of the sacrifice, made in faith, brought cleansing because it foreshadowed the sacrifice that Christ would make to pay the full price for the sin of humanity. Abel made his offering in faith and obedience, and he has been called righteous.
Before the cross, Jesus taught that the righteous (those who were faithful to the Lord) would go to Abraham’s bosom when they died (Luke 16:22); to the thief on the cross, Jesus called it paradise (Luke 23:43) – either way, it was a place of comfort (Luke 16:25). On the other hand, the unrighteous went to Hades (hell), a place of torment, and although those in Hades could see paradise, there was an impenetrable barrier between the two (Luke 16:23, 26). All of the OT saints, whose sins had been temporarily cleansed through the sacrifices made (whether before or after Mt. Sinai, it doesn’t matter), went to paradise after their time on earth. Therefore, paradise held those who had been faithful to the Lord during their lifetime; their sins had been temporarily covered through shed blood, and, after death, they entered paradise where they awaited the day when their sins would be cleansed permanently. This took place when the Lord Jesus shed His blood on the cross for the sins of humanity (past, present and future); His payment for sin was final! The OT saints, who had experienced a temporary cleansing from sin, now had their sins paid in full by Christ! After Jesus died, He went to paradise (as promised to the thief), and prepared the OT saints for what would take place next. We looked at this in some detail when we dealt with Hebrews 2:10, so I will only touch the main points here.
Matthew tells us this: “50. And Jesus having cried out again with a loud voice, He yielded the spirit; 51. And, behold, the veil of the temple was torn into two from the top to the bottom, and the earth was shaken and the rocks were split; 52. And the graves were opened, and many [all18] bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep, were raised, 53. And did come out of the graves after His resurrection; they did enter into the holy city, and appeared unto many (Matthew 27:50-53, literal).19 As I noted in our consideration of Hebrews 2, these are the OT saints (from paradise) whose sins were now remitted completely through Christ, and who were raised in their glorified bodies when Jesus was raised from the dead.
Paul declared: “6. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord … 8. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6, 8). Under the NC, paradise is no longer used for the righteous dead; now, although those who are righteous before God do not receive their glorified bodies immediately when they die, their souls do go to be with the Lord – their bodies awaiting a future date for resurrection.
“15. This we are saying to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are living, who are surviving, unto the coming of the Lord will not precede those who sleep. 16. Because the Lord, Himself, with a shouted command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, will descend from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise first, 17. Then we who are living, who are surviving, together with them, will be taken away in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, literal).20 It is at the sound of the trumpet that “the dead will be raised immortally, and we will be changed. 53. It is necessary for this perishable to put on incorruptibility, and this mortal to put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:52b-53. literal).21 The rapture (when we are taken away, as spoken of here) is when the bodies of the righteous dead will be raised, and, together with those who are still living, their bodies will become glorified like the Lord’s: “we understand that when He will be revealed, like Him we will be, because we will see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2b, literal).22 The NC includes our souls being with the Lord when we die, and receiving glorified bodies when He comes for the full harvest of souls (the rapture).
The writer wants his Hebrew readers to begin to understand what Christ accomplished forever, even as it was foreshadowed in the layout and the priestly activities in the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. However, he is aware that their full comprehension of the reality of the NC will be hindered by the existence of the physical temple.
9. Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 10. Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
9. Which [is] a figure until the present time, according to which both gifts and sacrifices are being offered that are not able, regarding the conscience, to complete the one who is offering; 10. only on the basis of foods and drinks, also various washings and regulations of the flesh that are being imposed until the appointed time of reformation (literal).23
The temple (the first tabernacle) was a picture of the heavenly, and that was its function; coupled with the Law of Moses, the problem of sin was something that was very clear. The Law provided the evidence of sin, and the priests and sacrificial system afforded a means of temporary cleansing from sin; what was emphasized was the inability of the individual to come into the presence of the Lord – the cleansing from sin was only accomplished through the intercessory work of the priests, and, even more particularly, by the high priest once each year. This was a complex system of regulations and ordinances that needed to be kept, and the inevitable failure of the people provided the priests with steady employment. Nevertheless, all of this looked ahead to the Promised Redeemer Who would make a final sacrifice for sin, and through Him would come access to the Father – this would see the removal of the figure in favor of the NC reality. It’s really no wonder that the Jews had such difficulty understanding and accepting the finished work of Christ: their tradition demanded so much of them including faith to appropriate cleansing from sin; now, faith in Christ brought cleansing without all of the rituals. All that they needed was to turn from a required obedience to the Law and sacrifices for their failures, to obedience to the Law of God with the help of the Spirit of God.
The writer summarizes the temple activities as the offering of gifts and sacrifices: the former being the freewill offerings given to the Lord, and the latter, the atonement for sins committed. It seems that the sacrifices would far outnumber the gifts that were given; yet, despite the many sacrifices, they could never bring complete forgiveness of sin.
Then the writer refers to the Law of Moses: foods, drinks, washings, and regulations of the flesh; the Law was filled with everything that governed the daily life of every Israelite. To live a life that was pleasing to the Lord, there was a need for priestly guidance, and their work to cleanse the sin that condemned every individual before the Lord.
All of this temple activity was to continue until the appointed time of reformation. Our English word reformation does not quite catch the central thought of the Greek diorthosis, from which it is translated; we think of reformation as being the remaking or reworking of what already exists.24 However, diorthosis describes a right arrangement or a new order of things; not a new look to an old tradition, but something that is brand new that replaces the old.25 The writer has included a reminder here that the OC was inadequate, and adds that its demands were in place until a particular point in time – a time that had been determined by God. At that certain time, the OC would cease to exercise control, and God would replace it with a NC. God made the OC obsolete (Hebrews 8:13); it was not remodeled, or updated – it was replaced! To the Ephesians, Paul declared that Christ did abolish the OC (the Law of commandments in the ordinances); the Greek word is katargesas, which means to render ineffective, to do away with, or to bring to an end.26 Christ abolished the OC of the Jew and Gentile (the clean and unclean), in order to make one new man in Himself (Ephesians 2:15)! The OC was not reformed – it was removed!
The writer has made it very clear that the OC of the temple, priests and sacrifices has come to an end; they were never able to bring an end to sin, and he makes it clear that it was God’s determination that it would end at the time that He had appointed. That time came when Jesus shed His blood for the payment of sins, and rose again to bring new life to those who place their faith in Him – the New Covenant!
Man’s theologies have done so much to confuse the truth that the writer of Hebrews is endeavoring to make abundantly clear. Some claim that the OC traditions will be reinstituted during the Millennium as a memorial of what Christ has done.27 Still others believe that although we are enjoying some of the blessings of the NC today, its fullness is intended for Israel during the Millennium.28 The writer has made it very clear that the OC has ended (not just for now, but completely), and that the NC is in place (not in part, but the whole!). When theology takes priority over the voice of Scripture, that’s when Satan is more than willing to lend a hand at creating a justification for whatever variant that man desire that will take him away from God’s Word. The writer faced the same thing with the Hebrews; they had been steeped in their Judaism, and that option was still available to them as the temple was still standing; hence his careful attention to details as he seeks to draw the Jews out of their OC thinking, and into a new life in Christ.
11. But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
And Christ did come, a High Priest of the good things that are coming by means of a great and perfect tabernacle, not made by hand – this means, not of this creation (literal).29
The writer has already provided evidence that Jesus became a High Priest according to the nature of Melchizedek, and not the Levitical priesthood. He now introduces a somewhat different perspective on Christ as our High Priest, drawing upon the heavenly origin for all that is coming.
The earthly high priest worked in the physical tabernacle/temple that had been built by men after the pattern that was given to Moses. Although we are told of the Lord’s careful instructions to Moses that everything was to be made according to His revealed patterns, we really do not understand the heavenly context for what was constructed until we read of what John saw when he was taken, in the spirit, into heaven. The writer is lifting the veil just a little bit to draw on the presence of the Father as being the source for all of the coming good things that are included in the NC.
We have learned of the hope that we have as followers of Christ: He is our Hope, and we need to pay particular heed that we do not turn away from Him and become apostate (Hebrews 3:12); it is only as we remain faithfully in Him unto the end, that we are assured of salvation (Matthew 24:13). We have also seen that those who are apostate (in the true, Biblical understanding of this word) no longer have any hope in Christ (Hebrews 6:4-6), and as we considered this tragedy, we noted that our hope is of being with Him forever (John 14:3). The writer has made it very clear that Christ, as the Son of God and our High Priest, is the only means of reaching our hope, and we are challenged to retain a firm hold on our faith in Him, for He is our High Priest Who is now abiding in heaven (Hebrews 4:14) and interceding for us (Hebrews 7:25). Jesus said, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you” (John 16:7). The Comforter, the Spirit of God, is our Guide and Instructor; we have learned that under the NC, God has put His Laws (the Ten Commandments) into our minds and written them upon our hearts (Hebrews 8:8-12), and, with the Spirit abiding within (Romans 8:9), He is able to use God’s Laws to instruct and guide us through life. God has provided us with all that we need in order for us to succeed in Christ – our part is to continually seek His truth (we are to be growing in Him, 2 Peter 3:18) and to live in obedience to His commands (John 14:15). There is simply no other way to be regarded as righteous before the Lord!
Christ, as our High Priest, did no work in the earthly temple; after shedding His blood for sin, He entered into the presence of God in heaven – the temporal was abandoned in favor of the eternal, that which was not made by man. Therefore, Christ’s atonement is eternal and complete.
12. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He did enter into the Holies once for all: He obtained eternal redemption (literal).30
The writer is moving on to look at the work of Christ as our High Priest. The Levitical high priest would enter into the Most Holy Place with the blood of a bullock (calf) to atone for his sins and those of his household, followed by the blood of a goat to atone for the sins of the people. That was the tradition of the Day of Atonement that was instituted from Mt. Sinai. Jesus, Who was without sin, shed His own blood for the atonement of all sin, and He is now in the presence of the Father as the perfect Lamb Who gave His life for sin: “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne … stood a Lamb as it had been slain …” (Revelation 5:6).
Jesus, Who was the Sacrifice for our sin and Who is our High Priest, entered into the presence of His Father in heaven, not to sprinkle a few drops of blood, but as the Sacrifice presented to God, a sweet-smelling savor. The mission of redemption that had been arranged before creation (Revelation 13:8), had been accomplished and it was perfect, offering complete redemption from sin to those who would come in faith by the Way of Christ. The writer has emphasized that the atonement for sin under the OC was never complete; the Day of Atonement was an annual event, showing that it was not an end, but only a figure of the atonement that was to come through the Promised One. Redemption is now complete, and it is eternal: it is there for those whose faith accounts them as righteous before God, from Adam through to the last person born during the Millennium. We’ve already seen how the sins of the OT saints were completely remitted by the blood of Christ, and they are now in heaven in their glorified bodies – the firstfruit of the harvest to Christ (Revelation 14:4). Now, the souls of those who are righteous in Christ, when they die physically, enter into His presence awaiting the day when He will call for the resurrection of their bodies to be united with their souls, and they abide with Him in immortality (the full harvest, the rapture; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). At the end of the Millennium, those who were born during this time and who are in Christ and have their names recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life, will be resurrected to stand before God at the Great White Throne judgment, and will be ushered into eternal glory (their names being in the Book of Life) – the gleanings of the harvest, but no less a part of the final harvest (Leviticus 23:22; Revelation 20:12, 15). All of these are beneficiaries of the eternal redemption that Christ established through His shed blood.
13. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
13. For since the blood of bulls and goats [brought cleansing from sin], and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the defiled is purifying to the cleansing of the flesh, 14. How much more surely the blood of Christ (Who through the eternal Spirit did present Himself without blemish to God) will cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the God Who is living (literal).
We have heard much regarding the blood of bulls and goats being used to bring a temporary cleansing from sin, and the blood of both was essential on the Day of Atonement. However, beyond that, we are now introduced to the ashes of a heifer that are used for cleansing the flesh.
“1. And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 2. This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke: 3. And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, that he may bring her forth without the camp, and one shall slay her before his face: 4. And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times: 5. And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn: 6. And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer … 9. And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin” (Numbers 19:1-6, 9).
The ashes of the heifer, along with cedar, hyssop and scarlet (generally considered to be dyed wool) served a very different purpose from the blood of bulls and goats. If someone touched a dead body, or anything associated with such, he was unclean for a period of seven days (Numbers 19:16). In such a case, some of these ashes were mixed with fresh water (making the water of separation, or the water to remove impurity), and on the third day and the seventh day was sprinkled upon the one who had become defiled, the place where the dead person had died, and all of the furnishings thus defiled, and everyone/everything would be clean (Numbers 19:18-19).31 The ashes were used to bring cleansing from defilement, and not from sin; sin, as we have learned, requires the shedding of blood. However, even with the red heifer, there is an acknowledgement that the purification that would come through this particular sacrifice, needed the blessing of the Lord. As the red heifer was killed outside of the camp, some of her blood was sprinkled toward the tabernacle seven times, thereby indicating that the Lord was central to this as well (Numbers 19:4).32 The heifer was then burned, and cedar, hyssop and scarlet (wool) were added to the fire, so that the ashes were comprised of all four. These ashes were then stored in a clean place outside of the camp; the whole process was accomplished away from the camp of the Israelites. Then, whenever anyone was in contact with a dead body, the place or furnishings where someone had died, a bone, or a grave, their cleansing from such uncleanness came not through a sin-offering, but by being sprinkled with the water of separation (fresh water mixed with some of the ashes) in the prescribed manner.
Shed blood is necessary to atone for sins; it is what is required in order to provide a covering for sin before a holy God – a covering that is only effective when it is accepted by faith in the Lord. On the Day of Atonement, blood was shed for the sins of the high priest and the people – it provided a covering for sin when it was accepted in faith. However, the Day of Atonement did something else as well: “For on that day shall the priest make an atonement [kaphar; cover, pacify] for you, to cleanse [taher; purify] you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD” (Leviticus 16:30).33 By faith, not only were sins forgiven, but also a personal purification took place on the Day of Atonement: everyone could have his sins forgiven and be purified before the Lord. Following the Day of Atonement, sinful acts would, once again, require the shed blood of a sacrifice to bring forgiveness, but different rituals were prescribed for an impurity, along with differing requirements depending on the source of the uncleanness. For most daily living situations (like touching something unclean), water was the primary cleansing agent. However, an impurity because of contact with the dead (body, bone, or grave), the ritual that we have just looked at (the ashes of the red heifer) was called into play. This kind of cleansing was required for the individual, and also for those things that had been in contact with the dead (Numbers 19:18).
The blood of bulls and goats brought a covering for sin, and the ashes of a red heifer could bring purification to those who had been made unclean by contact with the dead (lesser cases of uncleanness were attended to with water). The writer uses this to stand in contrast to what Christ has accomplished for those who are His.
The high priest, under the OC, would present the blood of a bull and goat in the presence of God (in the Holy of Holies) in order to provide a temporary covering for sin to all who in faith identified with the sacrifice being made. On the other hand, Christ, Who is the Son of God, with the Spirit of God, did present Himself without blemish to God (notice that the Father, the Son and the Spirit are all at work here; a subtle expression of the Trinity to those who held to only one God); after bearing the sin of the world, Christ remained without blemish – He bore the sin even as He remained sinless.
The blood that Jesus shed for the sins of humanity will purify our minds (that place where we make decisions) so that our choices will be to serve the Lord. “Therefore, I urge you, brethren, through the mercies of God, offer your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God – your rational service” (Romans 12:1, literal).34 Our text speaks of being purified so that we serve the God Who is living: a living sacrifice serving a living God – how appropriate! Because of the mercy of God that comes to us through Christ’s sacrifice, the only rational thing is for us to serve Him!
We see here the change that takes place when faith in Christ enters the heart: we move from dead works to serve the living God. There must be a “from/to”: “… ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9b); “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:13). We have been delivered from sin, and so we must live according to the new life that we have in Christ (Romans 6:22); Jesus said, “If ye love Me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15) – from sin to obedience! The blood of Jesus has purified our minds so that we desire to follow Him; “ye must remain in Me, and I in you …” (John 15:4a). However, we also live in a time of apostasy when many “shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:4). What is clear is that we cannot live in Christ and in the world at the same time – it is either one or the other, never both! “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). We have the Law of God in our minds and written upon our hearts, the Spirit of God is abiding within, and both the Spirit and Jesus are interceding for us: we are fully equipped to stand in the face of any attack by Satan (Ephesians 6:13). However, if we lose our focus on the Lord (Hebrews 12:2), then the tribulations (John 16:33) and persecutions (2 Timothy 3:12) that we have been promised may cause us to turn away from Him into apostasy. We must count the cost of following the Lord so that we are prepared to face the trials that will come our way (Luke 14:33), and remain steadfast in Him (1 Corinthians 15:58).
15. And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
And because of this, He is the Mediator of a New Covenant, so that from death came a release from the transgressions during the first covenant, [and that] the promise of the everlasting inheritance should be received by those who have been invited (literal).35
It is because of His superior sacrifice for sins that Jesus is the Mediator of the NC; because He is God and remained without sin even as He bore the sins of all of humanity, He is amply qualified to mediate the NC. The OC was mediated through Moses, and it became the responsibility of the Levitical priests to be the bridge between God and the children of Israel. The NC is God (in Christ) paying the price for sin so that all sinners might be reconciled to Him through faith in His sacrifice. This same faith was required under the OC, and so every OT saint is someone who had exercised faith in the shed blood of their sacrifices to provide a covering for their sins (albeit, temporarily) – a figure of the blood shed by Christ.
The writer points out that the NC has done two things, and the first dealt specifically with the OT saints: 1) by the death of the Lord Jesus came the release for the sins that had been temporarily covered by the blood of the saints’ sacrifices; 2) Jesus’ promise that “where I am, ye are also” (John 14:3b, literal),36 speaks of the coming inheritance that is ours in Him. We’ve already looked at the release that Jesus’ death brought to the OT saints, and that they were raised in immortality when He rose from the grave – their salvation was now complete because the price of their sins was paid in full.
Let’s consider the second point for a moment. As Jesus spoke with His disciples about what was ahead, He said that He would go away in order to prepare a place for them, and then return for them, so that they could be together (John 14:2-3). We are told that the promised inheritance is in Christ (Ephesians 1:11) and that the Spirit of God has been given to us as a deposit toward that inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14). Peter describes this inheritance this way: “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you …” (1 Peter 1:4) – an everlasting inheritance, indeed! This is the destiny of which Jesus spoke to His disciples, but we must not neglect to consider how He prefaced this wonderful promise: “Do not let your heart be troubled; ye are believing in God, also in Me ye must be believing (John 14:1, literal).37 Faith in the Lord is the premise upon which this inheritance rests; the believing that Jesus mentioned is one that is presently active. Faith is the conviction that is founded upon such an active belief: we are in Christ through such a belief, but we must never forget the warning that this writer has given: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12). Being in Christ, that place of inheritance, requires us to be constantly vigilant, lest we should let our faith slip.
The writer goes on to say that this everlasting inheritance should be received by those who have been invited. Who are those who have been invited to come to the Mediator? Jesus said, “16. For thus God did love humanity, so that His only begotten Son He did give in order that everyone who is believing in Him will not perish but is having life everlasting, 17. For God did not send His Son into the world in order to condemn the world, but in order to save the world through Him (John 3:16-17, literal).38 God’s love is for all of humanity; Jesus’ purpose in coming to this earth was to open a way of salvation for all of humanity (the world). Who is invited? Everyone who has been born, or will be born, into this world! John spoke of this reality: “And He is the means of forgiveness for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for all of humanity (1 John 2:2, literal).39 All of humanity has been invited to the Mediator to receive forgiveness of sins!
The promise of everlasting inheritance is for everyone, but the writer notes that this promise should be received by those who are invited, not that it will be received. Received is in the subjunctive mood in the Greek, which means that this may or may not take place, and, as is so often the case with this mood, there is a choice to be made. Everyone has been invited to the salvation that Jesus has purchased, but not everyone will choose to place their faith in the Lord so that they will, in fact, be in Christ and eligible for the inheritance that He makes available to us.
One further word of warning: a single choice made to place our faith in the Lord is not sufficient to inherit the Lord’s salvation. What Jesus made abundantly clear is that our believing in Him must be continuous (it is in the present tense). To His disciples, the believing is in the imperative mood (it is a command; John 14:1), and the everyone to whom Jesus said that he will not perish, is the one who is believing (present tense, a continuous action) in Him. Jesus also stated: “And the one who endures unto the end, this is the one who will be saved” (Matthew 24:13, literal);40 endures (hupomeno) means to remain faithful to the Lord in the face of trials – obedient in all things.41 We must remind ourselves: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12). We must be careful lest our faith fails; “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).
16. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
16. For where there [is] a last will and testament, the death of the one who made the will must be established. 17. For a last will and testament for the dead [is] certain, since it is never in force while the one who made the will is living (literal).42
The writer digresses for a moment into dealing with the human document of a last will and testament. The essence of it is this: a will is only in force when the one who made it, is dead. It is a means by which the desires of the dead can be fulfilled after he is gone. While the testator (the one who makes the will) is still alive, his last will and testament has no bearing; it is only with the certainty of his death that his will comes into force. The writer will use this as an illustration for his next point.
18. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
Wherefore, not even the first [covenant] was put into effect without blood (literal).43
The writer has gone back to the main subject at hand: the first covenant, i.e., the OC. Like a last will and testament, the OC required death in order to be instituted; the shedding of blood, which was central to the covering of sin, was an essential element in the establishment of the OC.
19. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, 20. Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
19. For by Moses, who did speak every commandment of the Law to all of the people, the blood of calves and goats was taken with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, not only the book [of the Law] itself but also all of the people he did sprinkle, 20. saying, “This [is] the blood of the covenant, which God did ordain for you” (literal).44
This is referencing the following: “7. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. 8. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words” (Exodus 24:7-8). What is not found in the Exodus passage is Moses sprinkling the book of the covenant with the blood. Some contend that the book should not have needed to be sprinkled with blood because it was the word of God. However, we read that this took place on the Day of Atonement: “Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness” (Leviticus 16:15-16). Even the most sacred place in the tabernacle needed cleansing through the sprinkling of blood, even though it was never seen by any of the children of Israel, except the high priest, and then only one day each year. It would certainly not be out of character to have the covenant sprinkled with blood, and this is not the only occasion when the NT writers record details that are not in our OT. We noted this in our consideration of Hebrews 1:6, and found that, in this case, the quotation came from the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew OT).45
What is missing from the Hebrew account of this occasion, is the hearty acceptance of the Lord’s covenant by the children of Israel – they committed themselves to obey the Lord’s commands! We understand from the OT that the sprinkling of blood was used to sanctify or make holy. “And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him” (Exodus 29:21; cp. Leviticus 8:30). Aaron, as high priest, and his sons, as priests, were set apart, or made holy (hallowed), for their responsibilities in the tabernacle by being sprinkled with blood and oil – the former for their cleansing from sin, and the latter as being commissioned to their responsibilities in the tabernacle. Therefore, the blood was sprinkled upon the children of Israel to signify that they were set apart unto the Lord; they had verbally accepted God’s covenant, and the sprinkling of blood confirmed it. The sprinkling of blood was an essential part of the priests’ responsibilities in mediating the covering of sin for the children of Israel.
21. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
And also he did sprinkle with blood the tabernacle and all the vessels of service in the same way (literal).46
We read that the sprinkled blood of the goat in the Holy of Holies made an atonement for it (Leviticus 16:15-16); the high priest then took the blood of the bullock and goat to the altar of burnt sacrifices that stood outside of the sanctuary, and, with that blood, sanctified it (Leviticus 16:18-19). The sprinkling of blood was used to sanctify an object: whether the priests and their garments, the mercy seat in atonement for the sins of the people and for the cleansing of the Holy place, or even the altar of burnt offerings, where blood was shed on a regular basis to the Lord.
22. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
And according to the Law, almost everything is purified by blood, and without the shedding of blood, no pardon comes (literal).47
A little earlier we learned that even the Holy sanctuaries were purified by the sprinkling of blood, made necessary because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel (Leviticus 16:16). Even though only the priests entered into the Holy Place, and the high priest alone into the Holy of Holies, because the tabernacle was in the midst of an unclean people, it, too, needed to be purified, and that purification came through shed blood.
However, we have also learned of the ashes of the red heifer that were mixed with fresh water to bring purification from any contact with the dead. Other uncleanness, such as being in contact with unclean creeping things, was removed by simply washing with water, and, after sundown, cleanness was restored (Leviticus 11:23-25). Nevertheless, whenever sin was to be dealt with, the shedding of blood was required; water was used only for purification from what was defined as being unclean within the OC – indeed, almost everything is purified by blood.
The writer reminds his Hebrew readers that remission (pardon) only comes through shed blood. The Greek word is aphesis, which means the cancellation of a debt, or forgiveness of sins (within our context). All through the OT, and particularly throughout the time of the OC, pardon for sins came through the blood of a sacrifice. Sins were never overlooked; it took the shed blood to provide the required covering for sin in order to receive God’s favor. All of the OT sacrifices foreshadowed the coming of the Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15) Who would offer Himself as the perfect Sacrifice and make the final payment for sin – the fulfillment of the OT foreshadowing!
23. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Therefore, indeed, [it was] necessary to cleanse these images of the things in the heavens, and the heavenly things with better sacrifices than these (literal).48
Moses received the Lord’s instructions to be sure that the tabernacle and all of its furnishings and utensils were made according to the pattern that He had given to him on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 25:9, 40). The Lord issued the caution, but we don’t read anywhere that Moses understood that the tabernacle was an earthly image of a heavenly reality. We read of the Lord speaking with Moses from between the two cherubim that spread their wings over the mercy seat within the Holy of Holies (Exodus 25:22), and that the Lord was enthroned upon the cherubim (1 Samuel 4:4);49 within the tabernacle, this was the Holiest because of the Lord’s presence. Despite this, the Day of Atonement included a cleansing for this Holy Place (Leviticus 16:16); even though access was greatly restricted, the uncleanness of the children of Israel came through the priests who were sinners, just like everyone else. The high priest was required to make a cleansing for his own sins first by sprinkling the blood of a bullock, and then he could seek atonement for the sins of the people by sprinkling the blood of a goat (Leviticus 16:11, 14-15). The cleansing for sin always required shed blood.
On the Day of Atonement, the earthly required the shed blood of a bullock and goat to bring a covering for sin for another year. By contrast, the writer tells us that the heavenly, after which the earthly was patterned, required much better sacrifices, which he will now explain.
24. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
For Christ did not enter into the Holies made by hands, copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear before God for us (literal).50
When Jesus died, the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place, was torn from top to bottom (Mark 15:38), signifying that God had opened the way into His presence through the shed blood of Christ and His willing payment for the sins of humanity (death). Jesus told His disciples that He was the only Way to the Father (John 14:6), and that was now fully accomplished. The torn veil symbolized the end of the earthly rituals that were used to provide a temporary covering for sin; the temple was still standing, and the religious Jews continued their traditions, not realizing that their activities had been ended. Jesus entered into the presence of His Father in heaven, and He did so as the perfect Lamb of God Who willingly gave His life in payment for the sins of all of humanity. He stands before God as evidence that the price for all of sin has been paid in full!
Jesus told His disciples: “ye must remain in Me, and I in you” (John 15:4a, literal); He went on to clarify: “if My commandments ye obey [tereo], then ye will remain in My love” (John 15:10a, literal).51 Jesus said that it is vitally important that we remain in Him, and we will remain in Him if we are living in obedience to His commands. Jesus now stands in the presence of His Father as evidence that the price for sin has been paid in full; as we remain in Him, He is our Representative (our Mediator) with the Father. “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth [tereo, is obeying] not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4); remaining in Christ is accomplished only through obedience to His commands. As we live in faithful obedience to the Lord’s commands, we are remaining (abiding) in Him Who is now in the presence of God in heaven! Moreover, as we are abiding in Him, He promised that He would abide in us: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another [allos, another of the same kind] Comforter [the Spirit of God, just like the Son of God], that he may abide [will abide, the subjunctive mood (of abide) in a purpose clause identifies intent: it is God’s intent that the Spirit will remain in us forever] with you for ever” (John 14:16).52 Therefore, as we remain faithfully obedient to the Lord, we abide in Him, and such faithful obedience also ensures that the Spirit of God (another Comforter like unto the Son of God) will remain in us.
However, that does not permit us to remain blissfully ignorant of what the Lord desires of us: if we don’t know the Lord’s commands, then we cannot know when we are disobedient, and so all is okay. The writer of Hebrews has already chastened those who are too lazy to grow spiritually (Hebrews 5:11-14). Everyone enters into the new life in Christ much like a newborn, but to remain in that state is, itself, disobedience: “As newborn babies, ye must desire the pure spiritual milk, so that in it ye will grow” (1 Peter 2:2, literal).53 Why would we even want to remain ignorant of the desires of the One Who paid the price for our deliverance from sin? A slave works in service to the one who owns him, and a faithful slave will get to know his master’s desires so that he is able to serve him better; Jesus bought us out of sin – He owns us!! We come to Him as infants, and He will feed us milk, not so that we will make it our permanent diet, but that through the milk we will grow in Him so that we are able to handle solid food. It is as we grow in Him that we will be able to discern between good and evil (Hebrews 5:14); the Spirit within us is endeavoring to be our guide into all truth (John 16:13), something that will require spiritual maturity to fully comprehend. We must note that Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6) – the Spirit is working to increase our understanding of our Savior, something that will only be accomplished through faithful obedience!
25. Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26. For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
25. So that He is not presenting Himself often, as the high priest entering into the Holies with another’s blood, 26. Else, He must have suffered often from the beginning of the world; but He has now been revealed at the end of this time, for the removal of sin, once for all, through His sacrifice (literal).54
This follows the declaration that the presence of God in heaven is graced with a better sacrifice than the earthly image, and that Jesus did not enter into the earthly Holies, but into the presence of God in heaven. The writer now provides an explanation as to how the heavenly sacrifices are better than the earthly.
Firstly, the sacrifice that Jesus made for sin is eternal (Hebrews 9:12). Unlike the earthly high priest who had to annually seek atonement from the Lord for his sins and the sins of the people, the shed blood of Jesus was the final payment for sin! Jesus’ sacrifice was one time, and the release from sin that it brings is forever. The high priest would sprinkle blood upon the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies for atonement for sins (first for his, and then for the people); Jesus shed His blood, and is now our eternal High Priest in heaven according to the pattern of Melchizedek. Paul wrote: “[Christ Jesus] Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation [hilasterion] through faith in his blood …” (Romans 3:25a);55 the word of interest here is propitiation, which is defined as “the act of appeasing [or calming] wrath.”56 The shedding of blood to cover sin followed the Lord’s example in the Garden when He made coats of skins for Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21). “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof [sin] thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17); sin brought death, and the shedding of blood (death) provided a covering for sin. The high priest entered the Holiest and sprinkled blood upon the mercy seat (the cover on the Ark of the Covenant), in the presence of Jehovah on the Day of Atonement. The Greek translation of the Hebrew kapporeth (mercy seat) is the word hilasterion – the place where the wrath of God is appeased, and it comes through the sprinkling of blood. Paul declares that Jesus is the Mercy Seat (Hilasterion) where the wrath of God is appeased for those who place their faith in Him.
Secondly, the high priest entered the Holiest with the blood of a bullock (for his own and his family’s sins) and the blood of a goat (for the sins of the people). The sacrifice had to be made annually using the blood of animals, and, although the animals were without blemish, such blood could never make a full payment for the sins of humanity (Hebrews 10:4). Jesus became our Sacrifice (the perfect Lamb of God); He shed His blood for deliverance from sin, and willingly relinquished His life thereby bearing the full payment for the consequence of sin: death (Romans 6:23). Truly, Jesus is the only Place where the wrath of God against sin is appeased – He is our eternal Mercy Seat (Hilasterion). “For God did not destine us unto wrath but unto the possession of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9, literal).57 Jesus shed His Own blood: a perfect offering for the sins of humanity made by the Son of Man, and so, in fulfillment of the redemptive plan of God, a final and eternal payment for sin was made. Salvation is available to everyone (John 3:16), yet Jesus remains the only Gate that opens to salvation: “For narrow [is] the gate and restrictive the way that is leading to life, and few are finding it (Matthew 7:14, literal).58 Since Jesus, as our Mercy Seat, has won pardon from sin for all people, why will only a few find it? Because access to the pathway of life is Narrow and the pathway, itself, is restrictive. Jesus is that Narrow Gate, and the only Gate, that opens onto the pathway of life (John 14:6), and He has made it very clear that the journey to life can only be taken through faithful, enduring obedience to His commands (it is very restrictive; John 14:15, 21). Few find the Lord because they consider Him to be one way of many, or if they do find the Narrow Gate, then the cost of following His Way causes them to fall away. Jesus is the living Way to the Father, and, as such, He defines how that way must be travelled in order to arrive at the salvation that He has purchased.
The difficulty for most Evangelicals is that they have embraced a theology for their salvation, rather than exploring the Word of the Author of salvation. They hear this: pray a prayer for salvation, and your eternal destiny with Christ is guaranteed – it sounds so easy, but Christ did not teach this, and therein is the problem. They utter a prayer of faith to the Lord requesting His salvation, but their theology (or favored teacher) does not tell them that this is only the beginning – and not the end. They hear nothing of the need for faithful obedience to the Lord; many are convinced that there are no commands for us since, after all, we are not under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14). Evangelicals, for the most part, are either spiritually lazy and remain content with what they’ve been told, or they read the Scriptures with calloused eyes so that they are unable to see the Truth. Either way, they never come to know the Lord or His requirements for the Way to life; they have been deceived into believing a lie: they think that they are on their way to heaven, even as they walk the broad road that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13).
The writer tells us that Jesus has been revealed at the end of this time. As Jesus was taken to trial before Pilate by the religious Jews, they either had no idea as to Who He was, or they refused to accept Him. In fact, they accused Him of blasphemy and used His confession as to His identity as evidence against Him (Matthew 26:63-65). Even though His eleven knew that He was the promised Christ, even they did not know what that meant for them (John 6:69). It was not until after He was ascended to heaven that the truth of what He had accomplished began to be revealed. What time had come to an end? It was the time when the OC was in effect; with the NC of Christ now in place, the OC was obsolete (Hebrews 8:13). The mystery of Christ, which had been hidden all through the OT, was now being made plain (Colossians 1:26-27). It is through the sacrifice that Christ made that the OC is removed (Ephesians 2:12-14), the Jew and the Gentile are now equal (Galatians 3:28), and there is now one new man in Him (Ephesians 2:15): all of the faithful of all ages are now joined together by the One Who has paid the price for their sins.
Jesus came at the appointed time (Galatians 4:4), and, through His sacrifice, removed the condemnation of sin with finality. “Now, therefore, [there is] no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus; who are not living according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1, literal).59 However, we are reminded again that this place of no condemnation is for those who are abiding in Christ Jesus – something that can only be kept through faithful obedience to our Lord. Scripture is very clear, the Way to life is restricted: there is a prescribed way to walk this pathway, and the terms are not negotiable. Man’s theological musings do not change what God has made clear; such musings only reveal man’s calloused, sinful heart.
27. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
27. And inasmuch as it is certain for men to die once, and after this – judgment; 28. so Christ, Who was once offered to bear the sins of all, a second time, without any relation to sin, will appear to those who are eagerly waiting for salvation (literal).60
It is said that there are two certainties in this world: death and taxes, and this would affirm the former. It is sure that everyone is destined to die; the Lord told Adam that if he ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, then “thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17b). As Adam and Eve ate of the tree, spiritual death was immediate (their relationship with their Creator was broken), and physical death became a certainty. Death is the destiny of everyone born into this world, and it is actually more certain than taxes.
Yes, there is an exception for one small group. “16. Because the Lord, Himself, with a shouted command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, will descend from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise first, 17. Then we who are living, who are surviving, together with them, will be taken away in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, literal).61 When the Lord returns in the clouds for the harvest of the saints (the rapture), those saints who are alive on the earth will be changed in an instant and caught up to be with Him forever (1 Corinthians 15:52-53) – these few will not experience physical death.
However, for the majority, death comes with great certainty. The writer states that after death comes judgment. To understand this fully, we need to consider how man was made by God. Man is a created being, made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), and is comprised of body, soul, and spirit (or breath). “And the LORD God formed man of the dust [loose earth] of the ground, and breathed [naphach, blew] into his nostrils the breath [neshamah] of life [chay or chiim (plural)]; and man became a living [chay or chie (singular)] soul [nephesh]” (Genesis 2:7).62 After forming the body of Adam from dust (the physical), God breathed into him the breath of lives: i.e., the soul (neshamah, spiritual life) and breath (ruach, physical life). As Solomon contemplated the mysteries of life, he wrote: “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit [ruach] shall return unto God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7).63 The body is from the ground and returns to it, and the breath returns to God Who loaned it to us for as long as He determines. Finally, we come to the soul (neshamah), the other life that God breathed into Adam, and that has been a part of everyone ever since. It is the soul that bears the image of God, and is the seat of the intellect, emotions, and reason; not surprisingly, the soul is everlasting.
When we come into this life, we are born body, soul and spirit (breath), and bear the image of God (Genesis 9:6). Jesus said this: “… Suffer [Allow] little children [paidion], and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14).64 Jesus identifies little children as being a part of His kingdom, and further states that “except ye be converted [strepho, turn (inwardly and outwardly)], and become as little children [paidion], ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).65 Not only are little children within His kingdom, but entrance into His kingdom requires everyone to make a complete change and to become like little children (fully dependent upon Him). We must understand this correctly; this does not mean that little children are born sinless, but what it does say is that until a child is able to understand right from wrong, he is not held responsible for his inherited sin. To be converted requires the ability to think, evaluate, and to reason, all of which are not possible for little children; therefore, Jesus’ further remark is directed at those who are no longer little children. Jesus also said that it is the one who is believing on Him who will not perish (John 3:16); believing (pisteuo) involves a serious examination of Who Jesus is and what He has done, and then to be persuaded that He is the Truth and the only Way to God. Such consideration is, again, impossible for little children who simply do not have the ability to think and reason, yet Jesus says that they are a part of His kingdom. From this we understand that there is something called an age of accountability – a time when there is an understanding of sin, and an ability to evaluate and choose.
The writer states that after death comes judgment. We’ve already considered the physical body and the breath at death, but there is nothing that could be construed as being judgment for these. Therefore, this has to do with the soul. The soul, as we noted earlier, is everlasting, and so it does not die with the death of the body – this is where the judgment comes. Today there are two possible destinations for the soul of every individual who dies: heaven or Hades, and it is God Who makes that judgment at the moment of death. Heaven is for the soul who has exercised faith in the Lord Jesus and has remained faithful to Him throughout life; Hades is for the soul who has done nothing regarding the Lord, or who has failed to remain faithful to Him. It is upon death that the Lord makes the irreversible and accurate judgment as to where the soul must go – death is the point of no return, and no change, for the soul. It is what has been done in this life that determines where the soul will go. Jesus said, “And the one to endure unto the end, this is the one who will be saved” (Matthew 24:13);66 endure (hupomeno) means to remain faithful (obedient) to the Lord unto the end (our death or His harvest time), despite the trials that will come. This is the soul who will find heaven awaiting him after death. The destiny of the soul is eternally determined at the moment of death, but it is what we do prior to our death that will seal its destiny (heaven or Hades).
The writer says that similar to us dying once, so Christ also died once, but for a very different reason. We die because that is the consequence of Adam’s sin: “12. Therefore, even as through one man [Adam] sin did enter into the world, and through sin, death, and so unto all men death came, on account of which, all did sin … 18. Consequently, as through one transgression, all men [are] in condemnation; even so through one righteous deed, [it is] unto all men justification of life (Romans 5:12, 18; literal).67 It is through Adam that death came for all men; Christ died once, thereby opening new life for all men who are alive on the earth.
Christ died once, but it was not as a consequence of His own sin; He was born without sin (not conceived by “Adam,” but by the Holy Spirit [Luke 1:35]), and He relinquished His life in payment for the sins of the world that were placed upon Him – He bore the sins of all (many). The Greek word for all, or many (as it shows in the KJV), is pollon, from polus, which typically is an exclusive word meaning many, but not all. However, we must consider the wider context of Scripture. Jesus said, “… and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world [all people]” (John 6:51); Paul wrote: “[Jesus] Who gave himself a ransom for all …” (1 Timothy 2:6); and John wrote: “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world [all of humanity]” (1 John 2:2).68 There is a “Semitic inclusive sense” to the word polus that must be applied when we are dealing with the saving work of Jesus.69 So, in our text, we must understand that Jesus bore the sins of all people, the whole of humanity, when He died; this is not based solely upon a Semitic inclusive sense of this Greek word, but on the clear message of God’s Word.
When Jesus came to earth the first time, He came to put an end to sin; the next time that He will appear, it will have nothing to do with sin, but He will come with full salvation for those who are His – those who are eagerly waiting for Him. “For our citizenship is in the heavens, from which also we are eagerly awaiting the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20, literal).70 Our citizenship is in heaven as long as we remain in Christ, and with such a glorious hope, we look forward to His coming with great anticipation. Jesus’ coming will be the fulfillment of His words to His disciples: “I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also (John 14:3b). Notice that Jesus says that He will receive you unto myself, those who are His and alive on earth when He comes, will not receive Him, but they will be taken up to be with Him. “26. And then shall they see [catch sight of] the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven” (Mark 13:26-27);71 the elect are those who are in Christ: it is those who are abiding faithfully in Christ who are the chosen of God (Ephesians 1:4). This is not an arbitrary selection made by God in eternity past (the Unconditional Election of Calvinism), but those who place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and remain in Him unto the end; keep in mind that our faithfulness to the Lord is expressed through our obedience to Him!
The writer tells us that the Lord will appear, or reveal Himself, to those who are looking forward to His coming; the rest of the world will come to see Him, but their response will be very different from that of the saints. To the saints, who are eagerly anticipating the coming of the Lord to receive them, the Lord will appear to them – He will open their eyes to see their Redeemer coming in the clouds; the Greek word is ophthesetai, and although it generally means to see, when it is in the passive voice (as here) it means to appear or to become visible.72 It is the Lord Who will show Himself to us (hence, the passive voice) before we, on our own, will see Him. John wrote of that day: “Behold, He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the peoples of the earth will mourn over Him. Truly, amen. (Revelation 1:7, literal).73 Everyone who is alive on earth will see Him; see is from the Greek opsetai, which has the same root meaning as ophthesetai, but is in the middle voice – they will see for themselves that it is the Lord coming in the clouds (the Lord will not appear, or make Himself known, to them, but they will see Him). They will see the Lord and will mourn (kopsontai, literally, to beat one’s breast in grief) because they will recognize Who He is and that they have no part with Him.74 Even those who pierced Him will see His return in the clouds; i.e., those who are in Hades, awaiting their final judgment, will witness the harvest of the saints of God. Notice that all the peoples of the earth will mourn; Jesus is coming for those who do not fit this description, but who are citizens of heaven in Him; those who are eagerly awaiting His full salvation!
END NOTES:
1 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
2 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
3 Ibid.
4 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
5 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
6 Friberg Lexicon.
7 Vine’s “censer,” “frankincense.”
8 https://www.biblestudytools.com/hebrews/9-4-compare.html.
9 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
10 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
11 TWOT #2133.
12 BDB.
13 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon.
14 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
15 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon.
16 BDB.
17 Ibid.
18 Friberg Lexicon; polus (the root word) must be understood in an inclusive sense as applied to a specific group, as in, all of the saints who had died were raised.
19 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
20 Ibid.
21 Ibid.
22 Ibid.
23 Ibid.
24 https://www.yourdictionary.com/reformation.
25 Friberg Lexicon; Vine’s “reformation.”
26 Gingrich Lexicon.
27 Horatius Bonar, The Coming and Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, p. 222.
28 https://bracknellbibleclass.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/the-millennium-2.pdf.
29 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
30 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
31 BDB.
32 Ibid.
33 Strong’s Online.
34 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
35 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon.
36 Stephanus 1550 NT.
37 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
38 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
39 Ibid.
40 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
41 Strong’s Online.
42 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
43 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
44 Ibid.
45 Jude 9 is a more mysterious example; this is not found anywhere in Jewish literature; Meyer’s Commentary, (https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jude/1-9.htm).
46 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon.
47 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
48 Ibid.
49 BDB.
50 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon; Friberg Lexicon.
51 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon; Strong’s Online.
52 Friberg Lexicon; https://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/subj-purpose.htm.
53 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
54 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
55 Strong’s Online.
56 https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/propitiation.
57 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
58 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
59 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
60 Ibid.
61 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
62 Strong’s Online; https://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/OTpdf/gen2.pdf.
63 Strong’s Online.
64 Ibid.
65 Strong’s Online; Friberg Lexicon.
66 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
67 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
68 Friberg Lexicon.
69 Ibid.
70 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
71 Gingrich Lexicon.
72 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon.
73 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
74 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
1 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
2 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
3 Ibid.
4 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
5 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
6 Friberg Lexicon.
7 Vine’s “censer,” “frankincense.”
8 https://www.biblestudytools.com/hebrews/9-4-compare.html.
9 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
10 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
11 TWOT #2133.
12 BDB.
13 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon.
14 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
15 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon.
16 BDB.
17 Ibid.
18 Friberg Lexicon; polus (the root word) must be understood in an inclusive sense as applied to a specific group, as in, all of the saints who had died were raised.
19 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
20 Ibid.
21 Ibid.
22 Ibid.
23 Ibid.
24 https://www.yourdictionary.com/reformation.
25 Friberg Lexicon; Vine’s “reformation.”
26 Gingrich Lexicon.
27 Horatius Bonar, The Coming and Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, p. 222.
28 https://bracknellbibleclass.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/the-millennium-2.pdf.
29 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
30 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
31 BDB.
32 Ibid.
33 Strong’s Online.
34 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
35 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon.
36 Stephanus 1550 NT.
37 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
38 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
39 Ibid.
40 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
41 Strong’s Online.
42 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
43 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
44 Ibid.
45 Jude 9 is a more mysterious example; this is not found anywhere in Jewish literature; Meyer’s Commentary, (https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jude/1-9.htm).
46 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon.
47 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
48 Ibid.
49 BDB.
50 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon; Friberg Lexicon.
51 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon; Strong’s Online.
52 Friberg Lexicon; https://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/subj-purpose.htm.
53 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
54 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
55 Strong’s Online.
56 https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/propitiation.
57 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
58 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon; Bauer Greek-English Lexicon.
59 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
60 Ibid.
61 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
62 Strong’s Online; https://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/OTpdf/gen2.pdf.
63 Strong’s Online.
64 Ibid.
65 Strong’s Online; Friberg Lexicon.
66 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.
67 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
68 Friberg Lexicon.
69 Ibid.
70 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
71 Gingrich Lexicon.
72 Stephanus 1550 NT; Gingrich Lexicon.
73 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon; Gingrich Lexicon.
74 Stephanus 1550 NT; Friberg Lexicon.