Hebrews 10:1-14

The Shadow and the Image

What it says:

Heb 10:1  For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
Heb 10:2  For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
Heb 10:3  But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
Heb 10:4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
Heb 10:5  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
Heb 10:6  In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
Heb 10:7  Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
Heb 10:8  Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
Heb 10:9  Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
Heb 10:10  By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Heb 10:11  And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
Heb 10:12  But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Heb 10:13  From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
Heb 10:14  For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

 What it means:

Heb 10:1  For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things,

What did the law have?  A shadow of good things to come.

What did the law NOT have?  The very image of the things to come.

Define: Shadow – silhouette, outline, hint, trace, suggestion, flicker

Define: Image – picture, representation, figure, likeness, impression, vision, view

Notice it says: “the very image.” This reminds me of the old saying: “Right before my very eyes,” which means right in front of my own face. So “the very image of the things” points out that the law had a shadow of good things to come but Jesus was the very or actual image of good things.

Believers Bible Commentary: The law was only a shadow of the good things that were to come. It pointed forward to the Person and work of Christ but it was a poor substitute for reality. To prefer the law to Christ is like preferring a picture to the person represented. It is an insult to His majesty!

Col_1:15  (Jesus) Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

G. Campbell Morgan, “The Westminster Pulpit:” I remember staying, some years ago, while conducting some special services, with a friend in Devonshire. There came by the morning mail to him some roses wrought in silk by deft fingers here in London. And he put some of these roses wrought in silk by me, and said, "They are very beautiful." And holding them up in my folly and short-sightedness, I said, "They are perfect." He replied, "Are they, really?" And he brought his microscope, and put the rose beneath it, and the very silk itself became coarse as sackcloth. Then he brought from his greenhouse a spray of God's roses, and put them under the microscope, and the more closely I looked, the more perfect they were. The beauty of God as manifest in the tiniest cell of the flower as in its completion is manifest in the blossoming of the flower, as in the rhythmic order of the heavens about me. Brethren, God is very beautiful, and everything which is of God is essentially beautiful.

Jesus is the very image of God’s beauty. The law could never do what Jesus did. The Tabernacle and the law were like those silk roses: beautiful at first glance but upon closer inspection they were coarse as sackcloth when compared to the real throne in heaven and God’s eternal grace.

G. Campbell Morgan, “The Westminster Pulpit:” If God's ultimate thought is realized only along the line of His law, then the law is that which creates the beauty; and everywhere beauty is marred by the breaking of law.

He is not speaking of the “covenant law” here. He is speaking of the law of creation in which God made everything, like roses, beautiful, but the same rule applies. When the law is broken it is no longer beautiful. The people had turned God’s law into a ritual and a ceremony. They did not fully realize God’s beauty in their hearts. Let us worship God in His honor and majesty, strength and beauty; and not just in our need, only. (Optional: read Psalm 96)

can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

How often were the sacrifices in the law offered?  Every year (year by year continually)

What is meant by “the comers thereunto?” Those who brought their sacrifices to the priests.

The “comers thereunto” is a way of describing those who, in need of forgiveness, were obedient to the law and offered sacrifices and worship to the Lord under the system and format of the law.

What did their sacrifices never make them?  Perfect.

BBC: The weakness of the legal system is seen in the fact that its sacrifices had to be constantly repeated. This repetition proved their total inability to meet the claims of a holy God. Notice the expressions used to capture this idea of repetitiveness:  the same sacrifices; offer continually year by year;. The sacrifices were utterly unable to perfect the worshipers, that is, they never gave the people a perfect conscience as far as sin was concerned. The Israelites never enjoyed the consciousness of being cleared forever from the guilt of sin. They never had complete rest of conscience.

To never have the complete rest of conscience means they were never at rest inside themselves. They were always wary and afraid. The law did not give them peace of mind, unless they truly trusted in God. Some trusted in God for He did give them peace, but for those who trusted in the law, without trusting in God, they were bound to futility, just as those who trust in themselves, today. It is only trust in God that brings peace.

This reminds me of when I was baptized. I was still a new believer and still had some of the notions I was taught in the Mormon Church. When I was baptized I saw my performance of that ceremony as “washing away my sins”…. As I had been taught. So even though I was being baptized in a Baptist church I had inaccurate notions about it. I was really looking forward to being baptized and becoming a Christian (and fully leaving the Mormon way behind) but I thought that by my doing the ceremony of baptism all my sins would no longer be in my mind and on my conscience. I was very excited. I remember mentioning that to the men who were going to baptize me and they immediately just looked at each other and said nothing. I wish they had said something, but, that is not how it happened. I went through the ritual and came out feeling like I was “clean as a whistle.” My joy and elation lasted about two days when I once again sinned and all my sins and guilt came crashing down upon me again. It is not the rituals that we perform that cleanse us from sin, it is Jesus Christ. And that is also why we must persevere in our faith in Him, to the end. We cannot rest on our laurels for we have none, but we have Jesus and we can rest on His laurels – having faith in Him.

God’s forgiveness removes our sin. In Christ He has taken us back to a state similar to that which existed before Adam sinned. We are a new creature in Christ. We will see it for ourselves on the Day of Salvation! Let not man tear asunder what God has done. Let not man put sin on his back again to carry around a burden that no longer exists. God really has forgiven us – made us new in Christ!! It is already accomplished in Christ! Trust in God! Have faith in Jesus! We are made new!

2Co_5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Gal_6:15  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

Rom 8:23-24a  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope:

That is why the Gift of the Holy Spirit “seals” us. We are still waiting for the adoption. God is patient and long suffering, not wanting anyone to be lost. In His grace, we wait for them, and serve Him.

Eph_1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

2Co 1:20-24  For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth. Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

Heb 10:2  For then would they not have ceased to be offered?

With his question our author wants us to think about this and to reason it out. Does it not make sense that if those who offered their sacrifices according to the law had been made perfect and had become free from sin by them, why did they continue to offer these sacrifices?

Why do you think they continued to offer sacrifices?  They “offered for sins” repeatedly, because they sinned repeatedly. They were also “obedient” but to the wrong thing. They were obedient to the letter of the law, but not to the Spirit of God.

BBC: Whoever has to take medicine every hour to stay alive can hardly be said to be cured.

because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

With the word “because” he now states the obvious. If those sacrifices had changed their hearts, they would have had what? They would have had no more conscience of sins. Their sin would no longer be on their conscience.

So what was not changed?  Their heart. Their conscience.

Define: Conscience – G4894, συνείδω, suneidō, soon-i'-do, to see completely; to understand or become aware, and to be conscious: - consider, know, be aware of -- the inner man, spirit, mind, heart

Heb 10:3  But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.

The word “but” always paints an “opposite” picture. So, instead of their sacrifices cleansing their consciences, they had a yearly reminder of how sinful they were.

BBC: Instead of pacifying the conscience, the Levitical system stabbed it awake each year. Behind the beautiful ritual of the Day of Atonement lurked the annual reminder that sins were only being covered, not removed.

Heb 10:4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

So, while the hearts of the comers thereto were not cleansed from sin, they were demonstrating obedience. The Levitical system of priests and sacrifices was able to legally provide an outlet for their contrition and also pronounce them “clean,” even though it did not always touch the heart of the believer.

Heb 10:5  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not,

Jesus knew that God was not interested (“thou wouldest not”) in millions of animal sacrifices and mountains of offerings for sin. It was never ritual, nor routines, nor habitual ceremonies that God was interested in.

Deu 4:29  But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

It has always been our hearts, the love from the inward man, that God desires. He is the God of love. He gives love and receives love from those who truly seek Him. It is relationship, not ritual, that God desires.

BBC: God had instituted these sacrifices, yet they were never His ultimate intention. They were never designed to put away sins but rather to point forward to the Lamb of God who would bear away the sin of the world. Could God be pleased with rivers of animal blood or with heaps of animal carcasses?

Another reason for God's dissatisfaction is that the people thought they were pleasing Him by going through ceremonies while their inward lives were sinful and corrupt. Many of them went through the dreary round of sacrifices with no repentance or contrition. They thought that God could be appeased with their animal sacrifices whereas He was looking for the sacrifice of a broken heart. They did not realize that God is not a ritualist!

God was most offended by their idol worship. Can you imagine how it looked to God when on the Sabbath the people came and offered sacrifices to Him, then on Tuesday they went into their groves and worshipped a wooden carving? Their hearts had become wooden like their idols and they were no longer suitable to worship God.

Joh_4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 

Do you see that the spirit of worship is concerned with the Father? Every word Jesus spoke (truth), every act He did (spirit), was directed toward the Father in love. We also reveal our spirit, by the things we say and the things we do. As we worship Him in spirit and in truth we grow in love for Him. The Holy Spirit leads us to Jesus, and Jesus directs us to the Father. When we cling to Jesus we are drawing near to the Father.

Jer 29:11-14a  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end (a future and a hope -- NKJV). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, ….

but a body hast thou prepared me:

God prepared one body to be sacrificed. Whose body was that? Jesus Christ.

BBC: Dissatisfied with the former sacrifices, God prepared a human body for His Son which was an integral part of His human life and nature. This, of course, refers to the unfathomable wonder of the Incarnation when the eternal Word became flesh so that, as Man, He might die for men.

Heb 10:6  In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

In what does God have no pleasure? In burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Heb 10:7  Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

What book is he talking about? The scriptures of the Old Testament.

What does “It is written of me,” mean? There was a prophecy that the Messiah would come to do God's will. Many of the prophecies found in the Old Testament were written of Jesus.

Robert Hawker, “Poor Man’s Commentary,” -- Hence, we find the Prophets with one voice, and in the most lofty strain, speaking in raptures of the Lord’s coming. The Patriarch Abraham saw the day of Christ afar off, rejoiced, and was glad. Jacob spake of the Shiloh. David lived, and died in the full assurance, that of his loins Christ should arise after the flesh. Isaiah, under the same divine teaching, cried out to the Church; Behold, your God will come and save you. Jeremiah, Micah, Zechariah, Malachi, yea, and all the Prophets. I stay not to quote passages from their inspired writings in proof, this would be almost endless.

Then said I, “Lo, I come”…. This response means, “I answer your call. Here stand I ready to serve Thee.”

These verses are from Psalm 40. Yet they are the words, the thoughts, the responses and intentions of the Messiah!!

What did Jesus come to do? Notice how it is stated: “to do thy will, O God.” – It was an act of worship. He was seeing the Father, He was speaking and responding directly to Him.

Mary also demonstrated this spirit of obedience when she said to the angel announcing the birth of Christ:

Luk_1:38  Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

And that is exactly what God desires from us: the willingness to do the will of God in a personal and intimate way.

Heb 10:8  Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;

By what were the sacrifices offered? the law.

Heb 10:9  Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

When Christ came to do the will of God, what got taken away?  The old covenant.

What did Christ establish? The new covenant

Rom_8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

The first covenant was removed, and the second covenant was established in Jesus Christ. We have a new law! Not the one written on stone tablets, but the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus written upon our hearts!

Heb 10:10  By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

When he says “by the which will,” whose will is he talking about? God's will.

What happened to us by His will?  We are sancitified.

What did Jesus offer to God? His body.

How many times did Jesus Christ offer his body as a sacrifice? Once.

Whom did His sacrifice affect? All -- everyone.

It is by God’s will that we all are sanctified in Christ.

Jud 1:1-2  Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:  Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.

1Th_5:23  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Act_26:18  To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me (Jesus).

Jesus commissioned Paul to go to the Gentiles to teach them what Jesus has done for us: to open our eyes, to turn us from darkness to light, and to turn us from the power of Satan to the mighty power of God – that we may actually receive forgiveness of our sins, and inheritance, right alongside those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ. Sanctification is the free gift of God the Father to us in His Son, Jesus Christ. We receive it by faith in Jesus.

His sacrifice affected “all” – meaning “all” – believer and non-believer. That is why a simple prayer of repentance ushers a person into the Kingdom of God. It is already their's and waiting. Ready to be taken up at any moment. Adam brought sin into the world and placed it on us, his descendants. Jesus takes sin out of the world, and removes it from his adopted children -- to all them that call on Him, and trust in Him, and walk in His spirit.

Heb 10:11  And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

Did the priests stand or sit to do their ministry? They stood.

What can these many sacrifices never accomplish? They can never take away sins.

Heb 10:12  But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

But this man, Jesus, offered one single amazing unselfish sacrifice that lasts forever!!

What was his sacrifice for? For sins.

What did He do afterwards? He sat down on the right hand of God.

Heb 10:13  From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

Define: Henceforth – from now on, from this time forth, from this day forward, hereafter, in the future

Define: Expecting – waiting for, anticipating, looking forward to, imagining, counting on

What shall happen to His enemies? They shall become a place for him to rest his feet.

BBC: He waits till His enemies are made His footstool, till the day when every knee will bow to Him, and every tongue acknowledge Him as Lord to the glory of God the Father. This will be the day of His public vindication on earth.

Php 2:9-12  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

We’ve been given a clean slate. When we receive His sacrifice as our own, we then put on the new man and have a new masterpiece to work on: serving the living God!! Or as Paul puts it: “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” We are not in heaven yet, BUT WE WILL BE!!

Rom_4:6  Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

Jas_2:20  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Jas_2:26  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

By the grace of God, we have righteousness without works, but we do not have faith without works!! Faith is knowing and trusting “Who He Is” and what he has done and responding to that faith, in everything that we do.   

Heb 10:14  For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

What has he done for them that are sanctified? Perfected them.

For how long are you sanctified and perfected to God? For ever!!

BBC: Those who are being sanctified here means all who have been set apart to God from the world, that is, all true believers. They have been perfected in a twofold sense. First, they have a perfect standing before God; they stand before the Father in all the acceptability of His beloved Son. Second, they have a perfect conscience as far as the guilt and penalty of sin are concerned; they know that the price has been paid in full and that God will not demand payment a second time.

1Co 1:30-31  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Let’s break this down and take a good look at what is being said here:

⦁    But of him

Who is the “him?”  “But of him” the source of all things is God, the Father, Omnipotent. The Majesty in Heaven. “Of Him” means: by His will, for His good pleasure, and to fulfill His purposes.

⦁    are ye

Who is “ye?” Ye are the ones reading the letter and believing in Christ!! This means you! The “are” is a “state of being” -- pointing out that our present state of being has been changed. We have become something that we were not, before.

⦁     in Christ Jesus,

This is what we are: “in Christ Jesus.”  All the things Jesus did for God, he did for us, also. We belong to him. We are “IN Christ Jesus.” He is our representative who lives in Heaven and preserves for us all the blessings of the Father. We trust in Him, who was and is and is to come: The perfect Lamb of God: Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

⦁    who of God

The “who” is Jesus and God has done something to Him, also.

⦁    is made unto us

Jesus “is made unto us.” Jesus, being God, was not made or created. God has always existed. He was there in the beginning with God. But he was “made something unto us.” He became our Redeemer, Rescuer, and Representative by his sacrifice here on Earth and confirmed by His resurrection and ascension to heaven.

⦁    wisdom, and

Jesus was made unto us: wisdom. (“Unto us;” means the same as “for us.”) There are two aspects to the wisdom of Christ. 1. What He taught us and provided for us by His sacrifice; and 2. The further wisdom that will be available to us in heaven. His wisdom, is still very safe in Him, and in Him it was made for us. We are not wise, but Jesus still is. He is preserving God’s wisdom for us. This wisdom shall be manifested in us, when we receive the final salvation.

Php 3:20-21  For our conversation (behavior) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Our present bodies will one day be like his glorious body, and not only that, but His wisdom shall be known by us.

1Co_13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

⦁    righteousness, and

Jesus is also our “righteousness.”  We are made righteous by faith in Him. He was righteous on this Earth by His love and obedience to God. He remains righteous and preserves our righteousness in heaven with Him. He represents us, at the Throne of Grace. Our righteousness is in Him. He is one of us, therefore, we are “of Him.”

⦁    sanctification, and

We are set apart to God by Jesus. We are sanctified in Christ. He is our sanctification:

1Co_1:2  Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

⦁    redemption:

Jesus is our Redeemer. We have redemption in Him.

Eph 1:13-14  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Rom 6:18  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Eph_4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

1Co 1:30-31  But of him (God) are ye (believers) in Christ Jesus, who (Jesus) of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Reading our verses again:

Heb 10:1  For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
Heb 10:2  For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
Heb 10:3  But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
Heb 10:4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
Heb 10:5  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
Heb 10:6  In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
Heb 10:7  Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
Heb 10:8  Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
Heb 10:9  Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
Heb 10:10  By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Heb 10:11  And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
Heb 10:12  But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Heb 10:13  From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
Heb 10:14  For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Hebrews 9:13-28

The Lamb of God who Takes Away            the Sin of the World

What it says:

Heb 9:13  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:
Heb 9:14  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?
Heb 9:15  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.
Heb 9:16  For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
Heb 9:17  For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
Heb 9:18  Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
Heb 9:19  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,
Heb 9:20  Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
Heb 9:21  Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Heb 9:23  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.
Heb 9:24  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:
Heb 9:25  Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
Heb 9:26  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.
Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28  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.

What it means:

Heb 9:13  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:

It was the blood and ashes of clean animals that sanctified “to the purifying of the flesh.”

Define: Sanctify -- G37, ἁγιάζω, hagiazō, hag-ee-ad'-zo; to make holy, that is, (ceremonially) purify or consecrate; (mentally) to venerate: - hallow, be holy, sanctify. – bless, consecrate, make holy, make sacred, approve

Define: Purify -- G2514, καθαρότης, katharotēs, kath-ar-ot'-ace, cleanness (ceremonially): - purification. – cleanse, disinfect, sanitize, decontaminate, clean, get rid of impurities, distil, filter

Define: Flesh – physical aspect of humanity along with its needs and limitations, as opposed to the soul, mind, or spirit

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges: sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh] i.e. if these things are adequate to restore a man to ceremonial cleanness which was a type of moral purity. So much efficacy they had; they did make the worshipper ceremonially pure before God: their further and deeper efficacy depended on the faith and sincerity with which they were offered, and was derived from the one offering of which they were a type.

Notice that the blood or ashes of the animal did do a job of purifying of the flesh. It made the people “ceremonially clean” meaning it qualified them to participate in holy matters before the Lord. This was a blessing from the Lord and it was a foretaste, or type, of what was to come in Jesus Christ.

Define: Type – G5179, τύπος, tupos, too'-pos, a die (as struck), that is, (by implication) a stamp or scar; by analogy a shape, that is, a statue, (figuratively) style or resemblance; specifically a sampler (“type”), that is, a model (for imitation) or instance (for warning): example, fashion, figure, form, manner, pattern, print (copy)

Notice also that the blood or ashes did do a ritual cleansing, but it required faith and sincerity on the part of the one who offered the sacrifice to allow the cleansing to go deep into their heart. The cleansing of the heart was the reason for which God set up the sacrifices, but the people soon did it as a ceremony or ritual without sincerity of the heart.

Heb 9:14  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?

Define: Purged – remove something undesirable, impure, or imperfect; free someone from guilt, sin, or defilement

Notice that in verse 13 the flesh was purified and in verse 14 the conscience is purged. Same thing: cleansed. In verse 13 the flesh was sanctified, meaning set apart and made holy, and in verse 14 the conscience is made ready to serve the living God. Same thing: sanctified to serve the living God. The difference is between the flesh and the conscience, the outer body, and the inner man.

Eph 3:14-19  For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Through what did Jesus offer himself in Heb 9:14? Through the eternal Spirit.

We do not often see the words “eternal Spirit”. We see “Holy Ghost,” and we see “The Spirit of Christ,” etc. and we know these are different names for the same eternal Holy Spirit. What we are looking at is the deepest most sincere part of Jesus. He offered Himself through the eternal Spirit that dwelt deeply in Him.

In the OT ceremony the one offering the blood of an animal was doing it for his own sins, but Christ, had no personal sin. He offered Himself through the Holy Spirit for our sins! His conscience did not need to be purged, but ours does!!

Define: Conscience – G4894, συνείδω, suneidō, soon-i'-do, to see completely; used (like its primary) only in two past tenses, respectively meaning to understand or become aware, and to be conscious or (clandestinely) informed of: - consider, know, be privy, be aware of.

If we are conscious of our sin, we see it completely. What the blood of Christ does is purge or cleanse the inner view of ourselves. This, too, depends on faith and sincerity, but it depends not on our offering or sacrifice, but on our faith in the blood and finished work of Christ’s offering and sacrifice. Notice that he was serving God, and we are blessed and cleansed by the power of His Holy Spirit!

God is omniscient and knows all things, including our sins and our guilt, but in His wisdom, by His will, and for His pleasure, in Jesus Christ, He has removed our sins from us. He chooses not to remember them. Christ has purged our consciences from dead works that we may, (yes, remember that we have sinned as a reminder of the dust that we are), BUT, we may choose to count them as nothing as God does. God has removed the obstacle that kept us apart from Him and given us His Holy Spirit. He tore the curtain, from top to bottom, in the temple and in our hearts, and opened the way for Him to dwell among us -- Oh Hallelujah!! Not only are we able to go to the throne of grace in times of need, but God writes his law in our hearts and mind – His spirit is available to each one who turns to Him in belief and puts their trust in Him. Access is always a two-way street!

Heb 10:22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

It is by faith in the finished work of Christ and the word of God that we receive the ability to serve the living God! By the power of the Holy Spirit working within us we are changed. A true and believing heart has the full assurance that its own heart has been “sprinkled” from an evil conscience, just as our bodies are washed with pure water. Like water off a ducks back... our sins have been washed away.

Joh_1:29  The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Your sin has been taken away. Behold Jesus… and see the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. We need no longer feel guilt over old sin; even though we remember it, it no longer exists!!  It has been taken away!

Joh_8:36  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Notice it did not say “sets you free” is says: “makes you free!” The idea behind “sets free” is like a caged bird that had been let out of its coop. It is physically free of its cage but is it really ready to live on its own in the world? To be “made free” is to be recreated: made new by the gift of the Holy Spirit who now guides us in our freedom.

Rom_12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

“I am transformed by the renewing of my mind.” When we live transformed we become the proof of what the good will, the acceptable will, and the perfect will of God desires in us. By faith, we no longer conform to this world which is a shadow and a pattern. By faith in Jesus, we are transformed to conform to heaven where the real sanctuary exists and God is enthroned. When we believe we are transformed and we see our destination is home in heaven, we no longer have to believe the lies of Satan who tempts us to believe we are not changed or forgiven. He wants to keep us under his thumb but we don’t have to fall for that any longer.

By our belief in what God has done for us, we can live with a different view of, and within, ourselves: the view that newly directs our actions and proves (provides evidence) what is that good and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. WE make GOD right in our hearts, because our hearts have already been made right by Him!! We prove Him right by walking within the yoke of Christ, our Husband and Redeemer. Hallelujah!!

Mat_6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Col_2:20  Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,

Tit_3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Psa_51:10  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

This He did in Jesus Christ!!

Heb 9:15  And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament,

Wuest’s Word Studies: The word “mediator” is the translation of “mesites” which refers to one who intervenes between two, to make or restore peace and friendship, to form a compact, or to ratify a covenant. Here the Messiah acts as a go-between or mediator between a holy God and sinful man. By His death on the cross, He removes the obstacle (sin) which caused an estrangement between man and God. When the sinner accepts the merits of Messiah's sacrifice, the guilt and penalty of his sin is his no more, the power of sin in his life is broken, he becomes the recipient of the divine nature, and the estrangement between himself and God, both legal and personal, disappears.

that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament,

Define: Redemption – improving of something, the act of saving from a declined, dilapidated, or corrupted state and restoring it, him, or her to a better condition. Redeemed state, atonement for sin, deliverance from the sins of humanity by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, the removal of a financial obligation; salvation, deliverance, rescue, release, liberation, emancipation, recovery

Define: Transgressions – action violating law or code, a crime or any act that violates a law, command, or moral code. Commission of wrongs, the committing of acts that violate the law. Overstepping a limit; an act or the process of overstepping a limit or boundary

they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

Who are the “called?”  Believers.

What might they receive? The promise of eternal inheritance.

Since Christ takes away the sin of the entire world, everyone has been called to come close to God. A man often feels the call as an emptiness within himself which creates a desire within for “something more.” I was once told about a God-shaped hole in our hearts -- a hole that only God can fit and fill. When you turn to God in repentance because you have heard His call within you, and you place your faith in the finished work of Christ, you become one of “the called,” your heart is changed, and you “might” receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

Define: Might – may, can, could, possibly will, may well, may perhaps, may possibly

Why do you suppose our author used the word “might?”  Because of the “enduring faith” that is required. Right now, what we have is the PROMISE, in future we’ll have the INHERITANCE. Remember that our author has already covered, in depth, what happened to those who fell in the wilderness because they stopped believing. He did that as a reminder that we need to keep believing too. If we continue to believe, till death do us part from this world, we will then actually receive the eternal inheritance.

2Co_5:7  (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 

Heb 9:16  For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

Heb 9:17  For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

What legal document is being described here? A last will and testament.

BBC: The testator may have drawn up his will many years previously and kept it secure in his safe, but it does not take effect until he dies. As long as he is alive, his property cannot be distributed to those named in the will.

Heb 9:18  Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.

Define: Whereupon – at which point or time, or, as a result of

Define: Neither – a negative grammatical word that introduces or connects two people, things, or situations, both of which are excluded: such as: neither shirt looks good, neither of the boys wants to go, “Would you like pork or fish?” “Neither, thank you.” 

At that point in time, neither of the two testaments were dedicated without blood.

How was the first testament dedicated?  By the blood of clean animals.

How was the second testament dedicated? By the blood of Jesus Christ.

Heb 9:19  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,

Heb 9:20  Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.

Define: Precept – principle, a rule, instruction, or principle that guides someone’s actions, especially one that guides moral behavior; a warrant or writ that is issued by a legal authority, teaching, instruction, law

After Moses had shared what God told Him to tell the people then he followed the law and made an animal sacrifice which also included water, red wool, and hyssop which is a fragrant plant whose twigs were used to sprinkle water during Hebrew religious ceremonies.

What did Moses sprinkle with blood?  The book, and all the people.

Define: Enjoined – command someone, to impose a condition or course of action on others, to forbid something, in the law to forbid or command someone to do something by means of a legal injunction.

Heb 9:21  Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.

What else did Moses sprinkle with blood?  The building (tabernacle) and the vessels or utensils which the priests used to do their ministry.

The tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry had been created following the pattern of things in Heaven that God had given unto Moses. With the blood of the animals they were sprinkled and cleansed for holy use in the ministry to God in the tabernacle.

Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

“Almost all things” are purged with blood by what?  The law.

What happens without the shedding of blood, by law? No remission.

Define: Remission – release from debt, penalty, or obligation; forgiveness or pardon

By the law things are purged when a blood sacrifice is offered. If blood is not shed, there can be no forgiveness.

Heb 9:23  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.

Notice the word “necessary.” It was needed and important that the tabernacle and the implements which are the “patterns of things in the heavens” be purified with the blood requirement of the law.

What is needed to purify the heavenly things themselves?  A better sacrifice than these.

Heb 9:24  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:

Where is Christ not entered into?  The holy  places made with the hands of men.

Where is Christ entered into? Heaven itself.

In whose presence does He appear? God's.

For whom does he appear before God? For us! Hallelujah!

Heb 9:25  Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

Who is Christ being compared to? The high priest.

What does the high priest do, that Christ need not do? Enter into the holy place every year.

With what kind of blood? The blood of others.

Heb 9:26  For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world:

If He did that, he would have had to suffer and die over and over again.

but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

The words “the end of the world” are contrasted with what?  The foundation of the world.

How many times has Christ offered his own blood? Once.

What did the sacrifice of himself accomplish?  He put away sin, once, and for all!!

Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Define: Appointed – chosen, selected, fixed, prearranged, allotted

 How often do individual men die? Once.

What comes after man dies? The judgment.

The word “as” means we are realizing that Christ died once, because man, whom He came to represent, dies only once, also.

Heb 9:28  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many;

Define: So – in the same way, consequently, as a result, thus, therefore, subsequently, hence

Christ died once, but bore the sins of many people.

and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

To whom shall he appear the 2nd time? To them that are looking and waiting for him.

When he comes the second time, he shall appear without what?  Without sin.

This, too, is a comparison to what the high priest does who makes the yearly atonement. (Optional, read: Lev 16:20-24). Christ will have no need to make any further atonement, His work on the cross is finished. To those who are looking for His return, he will not be coming to deal with sin further. Sin has been dealt with completely, already.

When he comes the second time what shall we experience fully?  Salvation!! Amen!

The Pulpit Commentary: In Christ’s first coming everything is connected with sin. He is lifted up to draw sinners to him. All the energy of the Spirit and all the agencies of the gospel are employed to persuade sinners to accept the sin-bearing, sin-removing work of Christ. But he is coming a second time, altogether apart from sin—coming to deliver into everlasting security those who have believed in him. The completeness of salvation is always looked upon in the New Testament as a thing yet to come. The promise is of immediate safety, as far as it can be given in our present surroundings. It is our own fault if we are not safe from backsliding, temptation, and doctrinal error. But in the fullest sense of the word salvation, we are saved, as Paul says, by hope. We are hoping for full possession of every good, full security from every evil. When Christ has taken away the sin of the world, he will take away the peril, the insecurity, of the world.

Believers’ Bible Commentary: Verse 26: He has appeared. This refers to His First Advent when He came to earth to save us from the penalty of sin (the past tense of salvation).

⦁    Heb 9:26  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.

In verse 26 we see what has occurred in the past -- that Christ has already appeared to put away sin. He appeared on this earth to save us from the PENALTY OF SIN. He accomplished this through his faith and obedience to the Holy Spirit of God (His sinless life), the things which he endured, and by His resurrection from the dead.

He is our Savior.

BBC: Verse 24: He now appears. This is a reference to His present ministry in the presence of God to save us from the power of sin (the present tense of salvation).

⦁    Heb 9:24  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:

In verse 24 we see what is occurring presently – that Christ appears in the presence of God as our intercessor -- for us. He abides in Heaven, He abides in us, we abide in Him. He walks with us, lending us His strength for our weakness. He holds us up, He speaks for us and through us. He comforts us and loves us continually. He is presently our High Priest who saves us from the POWER OF SIN. The power of sin is distraction from God!! Sin is all around us. We have temptation – and temptation is meant to distract us from God, our relationship, and standing with Him. Sin wants to take our eyes off of the good things of God and put them on something less than Him, but “all that is beneath God will not satisfy us!!” (A.W. Tozer) Christ is our mediator right this very minute to help us walk through this life in faith!  “For we walk by faith and not by sight.”

2Co_12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

BBC: Verse 28: He will appear. This speaks of His imminent Return when He will save us from the presence of sin (the future tense of salvation).

⦁    Heb 9:28  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.

In verse 28 we see what shall occur in the future – that Christ shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation.  He shall come to gather His flock (those who believe in Him and follow Him) to His side as He reigns as King of kings, and Lord of lords forever. He is the blessed and only Potentate who saves us from the PRESENCE OF SIN!!

In the past Jesus saved us from the penalty of sin (we have forgiveness). He currently saves us from the power of sin (He is our advocate before the throne). At the second coming He will bring complete salvation – He will remove us from the presence of sin!! All things will be given new life in Christ. All the old dead things shall vanish away.

1Ti 6:11-12  But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

Php 3:20-21 (CEV) But we are citizens of heaven and are eagerly waiting for our Savior to come from there. Our Lord Jesus Christ has power over everything, and he will make these poor bodies of ours like his own glorious body.

1Jn_4:19  We love him, because he first loved us.

Let's read our verses again:

Heb 9:13  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:
Heb 9:14  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?
Heb 9:15  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.
Heb 9:16  For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
Heb 9:17  For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
Heb 9:18  Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
Heb 9:19  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,
Heb 9:20  Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
Heb 9:21  Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
Heb 9:22  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Heb 9:23  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.
Heb 9:24  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:
Heb 9:25  Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
Heb 9:26  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.
Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28  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.

Hebrews 8:13, 9:1-14

The Tabernacles of God

What it says:

Heb 8:13  In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Heb 9:1  Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
Heb 9:2  For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
Heb 9:3  And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
Heb 9:4  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;
Heb 9:5  And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
Heb 9:6  Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
Heb 9:7  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:
Heb 9:8  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:
Heb 9:9  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;
Heb 9:10  Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
Heb 9:11  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;
Heb 9:12  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.
Heb 9:13  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:
Heb 9:14  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? 

What it means:

Heb 8:13  In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

God is the one who proclaimed He was planning to do a “new covenant” – so by this same word He has also declared that the first one is “old.” That which the Lord has called “old” will decay and grow old and then vanish away.

Rom_10:4  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

2Co_5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Heb 9:1  Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.

The first covenant had two things: Ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary

Define: Ordinance -- what has been established and ordained by law, a decree, order, rule, regulation, law, edict

Define: Divine -- Having the nature of or being deity (God). Of, relating to, emanating from, or being the expression of deity: sought divine guidance. Being in the service or worship of deity; sacred. 

Define: Worldly -- in the world, on Earth, having the character of this present corrupt age

Define: Service -- the service and worship of God according to the requirements of the Levitical law, to perform sacred services

Define: Sanctuary -- sacred place, holy place, chapel, hallowed part

The first covenant contained elements of service to God, and a holy place in the world, that although man could not enter into it, its reason for existence was for men to be aware of God’s holiness. Notice the word “also” because the old and the new covenants are under the lamp of comparison. Under the New Covenant we still do “divine service” and have a “sanctuary in the world” – we are the temples of the living God if His Spirit dwells in us.

Heb 9:2  For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.

Define: Tabernacle – tent for carrying the Ark of the Covenant, a portable tent used as a sanctuary for the Ark of the Covenant by the Israelites during the Exodus, Jewish Temple, evangelical place of worship

He is describing the tabernacle in the wilderness. The first inner sanctuary was the first chamber within the tent and contained the candlestick and the table where the showbread sat. (See diagram below, “Most Holy Place”) This was also the area where the priests entered daily. This was the first chamber inside the tabernacle which was larger than the other chamber. The tabernacle also had an outer court surrounded by a fence of wool cloth forming a boundary beyond which men and animals were not permitted to step.

Heb 9:3  And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;

The second tabernacle inside the tent had a second veil or heavy curtain made to exact specifications by the pattern given by God to Moses. The veil separated the sanctuary from this chamber which he calls “the Holiest of all.” This is called “Holy of Holies” on the diagram.

There were actually many “veils” or curtains separating one section from another. The front door was a veil of cloth, the door to the sanctuary was a curtain, the outer wall was a curtain of goat’s hair. But when the words “the veil” are used it refers only to the curtain that separated the Ark of the Covenant from the Sanctuary. “The veil” is the door to the Holy of Holies, or the Holiest of All. For men, it was a frighteningly holy place imbedded in their minds as a place they could not go on pain of death, because they were unclean and unholy – and they knew it. The presence of the tabernacle and the veil reminded men of God’s holiness, and their own unholiness.

Heb 9:4  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;

The sacred inner chamber contained elements also. It had a golden censer or golden utensil for burning holy incense. It also contained the very important element which was the “ark of the covenant,” or the “ship” that contained the tablets on which the covenant was written. Notice that the word of God was in the Holy of Holies. This shows the importance that God puts on His word. It was under the Mercy Seat upon which He, Himself, dwelt.

Psa_138:2  I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

God has magnified His word above, even, His name!! The words that God declares are truth, as God is truth.

Joh_14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The ark contained two other things that were saved in order to be a witness to the generations of the forty-year wilderness trek that the ancestors took: 1. a golden pot of manna (a sample of the food God spread on the bushes and the ground for them), and 2. Aaron’s rod that had budded to prove that Aaron had the mantle and authority of the Living God on His side. (Optional: read Numbers chapter 17.)

Heb 9:5  And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

Above the Ark of the Covenant were the statues of the cherubims of glory (angels worshiping God’s glory) whose wings provided a covering or “shadow” above the “Mercy Seat.”  The Mercy Seat was the main element of the Holy of Holies for it provided the place for God to dwell. Our author has decided not to go into further detail about these things. Probably because they were a thesis unto themselves, but for our own knowledge, since we are not as familiar with these things as the Hebrews were, I’ve included these tidbits of information:

Exo_25:22  And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

Joh_19:13  When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.

The names of these seats are significant. The place where men were brought to be judged was call the “Bema Seat”  meaning “the judgment seat” -- and who ever sat upon it was the judge, as Pilot was the day that Jesus was judged. But God provided “the mercy seat” as a place for Him to sit and to commune with Moses. There is no other “mercy seat” on earth where God sits to talk with man, but there is one in Heaven called “the throne of grace.” Hallelujah!

In front of the judgment seat a man stands on his own two feet, being judged for the good, or the bad, that he has done. At the mercy seat a man may find forgiveness. God, has already decided, based on Who He Is, to be merciful to man, whom he already knows is a sinner. A sinful man, of which we all are, can obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need at the mercy seat upon the throne of grace. During our life time on this Earth we have “the mercy seat” to go to by repentance and faith in Jesus. After we die, Christ will then sit on the judgment seat to give us our individual just rewards.

Rom_14:10  But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

2Co_5:10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Heb_4:16  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Heb 9:6  Now when these things were thus ordained,

When all the things that God had told Moses to assemble were set up, they were then ordained for service to God.

Exo 40:38  For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.

The priests, in order to accomplish the service of God set forth in the law, went in and out of the first chamber of the tabernacle, “the most holy place” on a daily, perhaps hourly, basis but not without washings and proper preparations. It was a holy place.

Heb 9:7  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:

The priests did not set foot into the “Holy of Holies.” This was kept separate and extremely holy. The only person who ever went into this Holiest of All places, was the High Priest. And He only went in once a year on the Day of Atonement. He went in offering blood for himself and for the sins of the people after much washing and preparation.

Heb 9:8  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:

Who is “The Holy Ghost?”  The Third Person of the Trinity which consists of God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit who are all One God. So The Holy Ghost is God.

Define: Signifying – meaning, indicating, implying, be a sign of

What was not yet made manifest? The way for men to go into the holiest of all.

Define: Manifest – obvious, apparent, evident, clear, visible, marked, noticeable, discernible, plain, observable, show, display, reveal, exhibit (Antonym: obscure, hide)

God was telling us that “the way into the Holiest of All” was not made available to man, while the first tabernacle was still standing. He wanted us to know it existed, but protected it from men – we did not have access. This is very evident because the High Priest, who was only allowed in once a year, had to be extremely careful to perform this ritual perfectly, according to the letter of the law. This was clearly not a casual place for men to enter in. It was far too holy for the likes of us. If men had gone in, it would not have harmed God, but would have harmed the men.

That is another reason that in our last lesson, our author referred to Jesus as “harmless.” We may freely approach Jesus with no fear of rejection or death. Jesus gives us life everlasting!!

Heb_7:26  For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

We also, are to be “harmless” as it says here:

Php 2:13-15  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Heb 9:9  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;

Define: Figure – symbol, character, sign, representation, emblem, indication, logo

Who was not made perfect? The Priest -- "him that did the service"

He was not made perfect pertaining to what? The conscience.

The Holy of Holies was a representation, or sign, for the time then present. The high priest offered both gifts and sacrifices, but they never made the high priest, himself, flawless. It was a ritual to cover his sin, but it never cleared his conscience of sin. Neither did it make the conscience of the people free from sin. The yearly ritual, itself, actually became a reminder of their sin.

Heb 9:10  Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

What kind of ordinances?  Carnal.

Define: Carnal – relating to physical needs, or appetites, especially as contrasted with spiritual or intellectual qualities, physical, fleshly, bodily, not spiritual, not focused on spiritual matters, the fleshly concerns of daily living

Define: Imposed – compulsory, forced, obligatory, inflicted, compelled, required

Define: Reformation – improvement, renovation, reorganization, restructuring, overhaul, restoration, rectification

The ordinances were “carnal” in that they consisted of meats, and drinks, and many different washings, and were physical rituals imposed on them to keep until the time of reformation. The ritual had been “imposed” on men for a reason. God knew that the ideas and symbols contained in them had to be evident to the mind of man, so that, when the real thing came along (the reformation) it would be easily recognized by them. Man would never have done these things on his own, so God made sure to give them the law as a schoolmaster. We were taught by the law which had been imposed on us by God.

Heb 9:11  But Christ

BUT CHRIST!!   What lovely words!   But Christ….. The word “but,” is always a cancellation of what was previously stated and signifies that it is being replaced by what comes after it: Christ!! Hallelujah!

being come an high priest of good things to come,

But Christ…. Became the High Priest of good things to come in the future. He replaced what was faulty in the past with the good things to come from God in the future!!

by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

But Christ…. By a more powerful and more perfect “tabernacle” – one that was not made with men’s hands – that is to say, not of the particular physical structure of which we’ve been talking…, and not even of this world!

No temple made with hands, His place of service is;
In heaven itself He serves, A heavenly priesthood His:
In Him the shadows of the law Are all fulfilled, and now withdraw. —Thomas Kelly

Heb 9:12  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.

But Christ…. By his own innocent blood, (not the innocent blood of goats and calves) entered into the Holiest of All which is in Heaven…. Not the shadow on the earth… but unto the actual Mercy Seat in Heaven… and, thereby, has obtained eternal redemption for us all!!

Define: Eternal – existing through all time, beyond time, without beginning or end, unchanging, unaffected by the passage of time, everlasting, never ending, undying, perpetual, endless, ceaseless, timeless, interminable, (Antonym: temporary)

Define: Redemption – salvation, deliverance, rescue, release, liberation, emancipation, recovery (Antonym: downfall)

Mat 27:50-54  Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

Heb 9:13  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:

Bulls, goats, and heifers. Innocent animals. Clean animals.

What was done with the blood or ashes of these animals? They were sprinkled on the unclean.

What did sprinkling the unclean do? Sanctifieth

Define: Sanctified – make something holy, to perform a ritual or act intended to free someone from sin, bless something through religious vow or ordinance, blessed, made sacred, made holy

They purified the flesh. They covered the sins of the flesh. But did not clear the conscience – the inner man – his spirit.

Heb 9:14  How much more

Define: More – additional, extra, supplementary, added, further, new, beyond, above, ultra, bonus, luxury

“How much more” – How far above – How far beyond – How much more excellent…..

shall the blood of Christ,

How much greater and more luxurious is the spotless blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God!?

who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God,

Through what did Jesus offer himself? The eternal Spirit

Define: Spot – mark, blemish, stain, smudge, speck, dot, bit, tad, touch, smidgen, dash

BBC: …the Holy Spirit is in view; He made His sacrifice in the power of the Holy Spirit. It was an offering made to God. He was the spotless, sinless Lamb of God whose moral perfection qualified Him to be our Sin-bearer. The animal sacrifices (were) physically spotless; He was without blemish morally.

But Christ…. The Son of man, through the eternal Spirit, being The Son of God, was without spot or sin, both morally and spiritually… He offered Himself to God for our full redemption, and God raised Him from the Dead!!

purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Define: Purge – wash out, cleanse, eliminate, remove, eradicate, do away with, pardon, exonerate, absolve, forgive, excuse, (Antonym: castigate, criticize, reprimand)

Define: Conscience – sense of right and wrong, scruples, principles, ethics, inner man, spirit, soul

Whose conscience? Your conscience -- if you believe in the redemption given to us by Jesus Christ!!

Define: Dead  -- deceased, lifeless, boring, deadly, numb, frozen, unresponsive, obsolete, empty, silent, blank, inactive, inert, extinct

Define: Works – labor, employment, job, effort, exertion, toil, actions, composition, masterpiece, product

For what purpose was our conscience purged? So that we may serve the living God.

To purge our consciences from that old life-depleting masterpiece we’ve been working on!! You know the one I mean: the one we’ve been so focused on improving and defending and expressing!! This is a proclamation of the renewing of the mind that is found in the revelation of Christ. First the conscience of the inner man must be purged, cleansed, forgiven. Then with continued faith in the cleansing work of Christ in our own selves, we focus on a new masterpiece: serving the living God.

2Co_3:3  Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

It is the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of the living God – that has written the epistle of Christ upon our hearts. It is by the renewing of the mind that we cling to Christ and His finished work – in us! Through continued faith in the cleansing power of Christ in us, we begin to serve the living God.

When He purges our hearts by the finished work of Christ, and we put our faith in Him and follow Him, then we have a growing living confidence toward God!! Remember, this is the NEW COVENANT in which God has written something new in our hearts – confidence in Him!

Jer_24:7  And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.

Jer_31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

2Co_6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

1Ti 4:6-10  If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

We must nourish ourselves in the words of faith and of good doctrine. We must exercise ourselves in godliness because it is “profitable unto all things” – everything in our lives will be blessed and profited by our faith in the finished work of Christ inside our own selves – in our own minds. With a renewed mind we may attend to the business of our Father… learn of Him, remember His word to us, love, serve, and obey Him with our whole heart, soul, and mind.

Rom_8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

Eph 4:20-24  But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Rom_12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Rom_15:6  That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have confidence toward God by our faith in Jesus Christ who took away our sins, and in His being our High Priest at the right hand of God on the Throne of grace – the Mercy Seat!! And not only there, but at our right hand also:

Act 2:25-28 (NRSV) For David says concerning him, 'I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.'

There are ways of death and ways of life. It is God who lets us know what the ways of life are. By faith in the spotless eternal redemption of Christ Jesus our Lord, our hearts need no longer condemn us. Forgiveness is a release from sin. We are no longer condemned.

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

But Christ….. by faith in the finished work of Christ, we know that our sins have been purged and we have been set free from death and hell and our own sin so that we may walk in the Spirit of God!!  Oh, soak that in!!

Joh_1:29  The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

But Christ…. The Lamb of God…. Takes….. away….. the sin…..of the world!! He purges your conscience from dead works so we are able to serve the living God!! Oh Praise the Lord!! God is greater than our hearts. Have confidence toward God. He is so very gracious and kind. You are forgiven!! Thank God for the Mercy Seat!! Hallelujah!

Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

(Optional: read Psalm 103)

Read our verses once more:

Heb 8:13  In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Heb 9:1  Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
Heb 9:2  For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
Heb 9:3  And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
Heb 9:4  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;
Heb 9:5  And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
Heb 9:6  Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
Heb 9:7  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:
Heb 9:8  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:
Heb 9:9  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;
Heb 9:10  Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
Heb 9:11  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;
Heb 9:12  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.
Heb 9:13  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:
Heb 9:14  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?