James Deering, AncientPath.net

THE VISUALIZED TEXT (NASB)  (conjunctions & prepositions underlined, words not in original text in italics)    (alternate text in purple)

9:1 Now

               even the first covenant had

                     regulations of divine worship and

                     the earthly sanctuary.

2 For

         there was a tabernacle prepared,

               the outer one,

                    in which were

                          the lampstand and

                          the table and

                          the sacred bread;

              this is called the holy place.

3 And

          behind the second veil,

                 there was a tabernacle

                       which is called the Holy of Holies,
4                    having

                                       a golden altar of incense and

                                       the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold,

                                                in which was

                                                        a golden jar holding the manna, and

                                                        Aaron's rod which budded, and

                                                        the tables of the covenant.

5 And

                                                above it were

                                                        the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat;

but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

6 Now when

              these things have been thus prepared,

                      the priests are continually

                            entering the outer tabernacle,

                            performing the divine worship,

7  but

        into the second

                         only the high priest enters,

                                once a year,

                                not without taking blood,

                                        which he offers for

                                                 himself and for

                                                 the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

8 The Holy Spirit is signifying this,

          that

               the way into the holy place

                     has not yet been disclosed,

                            while the outer tabernacle is still standing,

9                                 which is a symbol for the present time.

Accordingly both

          gifts and

          sacrifices

                 are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,

 10                  since they relate only to

                             food and

                             drink and

                             various washings,

                 regulations for the body

                       imposed until a time of reformation.

11 But when

               Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come,

               He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle,

                      not made with hands, that is to say,

                      not of this creation;

12 and

                      not through the blood of goats and calves,

                      but through His own blood,

              He entered the holy place

                      once for all,

                             having obtained eternal redemption.

13 For

      if

        the

           blood of goats and bulls and

            the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled,

                  sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,

14 (then)

       how much more will the blood of Christ,

              who through the eternal Spirit

              offered Himself without blemish to God,

                   cleanse your conscience from dead works

                         to serve the living God?

15 And for this reason

       He is the mediator of a new covenant,

            in order that

                since a death has taken place for

                        the redemption of the transgressions

                               that were committed under the first covenant,

                those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

16 For

         where a covenant is,

                there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.

17                    For a covenant is valid only when men are dead,

                         for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.

18 Therefore

           even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood.

19 For

           when every commandment had been spoken by Moses

            to all the people

                   according to the Law,

           he took the blood of the calves and the goats,

                  with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and

                  sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,

20 saying,

           "THIS IS THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT WHICH GOD COMMANDED YOU."

21 And

        in the same way

          he sprinkled

                both the tabernacle and

                all the vessels of the ministry

                        with the blood.

22 And according to the Law,

              one may almost say,

               all things are cleansed with blood, and

               without shedding of blood

                     there is no forgiveness.

23 Therefore

            it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens

                  to be cleansed with these,

            but the heavenly things themselves

                  with better sacrifices than these.

24 For

      Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one,

                                 but into heaven itself,

                                       now to appear in the presence of God for us;

25 nor was it that He should offer Himself often,

           as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood not his own.

26 Otherwise,

     He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world;

but now

              once at the consummation of the ages

              He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

27                     And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

 28          so Christ also,

                     having been offered once to bear the sins of many,

                     shall appear a second time

                              for salvation without reference to sin,

                                     to those who eagerly await Him.

 THE COMMENTARY

Hebrews 9

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Old and the New

          Christ is Superior in His Priestly Ministry 9:1-10:18

I.       The Earthly Priesthood

A.      9:1-6, The Tabernacle of the First Covenant

9:1 Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary^[1]. 2 For there was a tabernacle prepared^[2], the outer one, in which were the Lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place. 3 Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, 4 having a golden altar of incense^[3] and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron's rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

The writer of Hebrews is now in the middle of a discussion concerning the First, or Old, Covenant between God and the nation of Israel. The end of Chapter eight leave us with a collection of verses from Jeremiah Chapter 31 that demonstrate in what manner God found fault with the Israelites and their violation of that first covenant with their God Jehovah.

The writer of Hebrews is demonstrating that there are "rules" in the New Covenant just as there were rules in the Old Covenant. This indicates that they are responsible to live under the Sovereignty of God in either case.

Within that first covenant a tabernacle (the place where God chose to dwell among His people) was set up and within were two rooms with a thick partitioning curtain between them. If this had been a non-portable dwelling there would have perhaps been a golden locking door between the two rooms. In order for the High Priest to get into the second room (the Holy of Holies) he had to pass through the first room (the Holy Place) and enter the second room by going through the curtain. The curtain barred anyone from seeing into the second room and by law prevented anyone other than the High Priest from entering the second room - into the presence of God (dwelling among His people).

Within the first, or outer, room was a 7 tiered golden Lampstand (the 7 ministries of the Holy Spirit of God), a golden table with 12 loaves of of bread (representing the people of the twelve tribes of Israel, and the provisions for them that God provides).

Behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place (or the Holy of Holies). The writer speaks here of the golden Altar of Incense as if it was in the second room and that is because, although it was actually in the first room standing against the curtain that divided the two rooms, it was "Spiritually" the only means of entry into the Holy of Holies and a part of that shadow of truth.

Within the second room was the gold-covered Ark of the Covenant. The Ark held the jar of manna, Aaron's staff that budded, and the stone tablets that contained the writing of the Covenant.

Even though the writer of Hebrews did not want to consider the meanings of these things (as he was writing mostly to Jews who already had much knowledge of these things) we need to consider a few points concerning them.

Most important in understanding the Scriptures concerning all these things is the fact that whole The Tabernacle (including its fences and doorways) all represent some aspect of Jesus the Christ. As the Second person of the Godhead He was granted all power and authority over not only that which was created, but also over the power to create all things in the first place.[4] Therefore, when we speak of God in both the Old and New Testaments we are largely speaking of the Second person of the Godhead - He would become incarnate and be known as Jesus, the Christ (Messiah). We should only see The Father when He is spoken of as "The Father."

The items inside the Ark represented three different aspects of God the Son. The first, the jar of manna, represented His provision for His people. He is the Bread of Life - then and now. Aaron's staff that budded demonstrated that this God had the power to bring dead things to life (resurrection) and also that He had authority over all things. The stone tablets that He gave to Moses contained the writings of the Law which codified the character of God, His holiness (His dedication to His people), and the way of salvation. His law contained the rules for righteous living, and the methods of forgiveness when those laws could not be followed (grace). If you committed sin, there was forgiveness available through blood sacrifice.

The items were so arranged inside the tabernacle so show the shadow and pattern of the "path of salvation."

B.      9:6-10, The Ineffectiveness of the Animal Blood Sacrifice

6 Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, 7 but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year^[5], not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. 8 The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, 9 which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, 10 since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.

This amazing paragraph brings us into the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies to see the significance of these shadows of things to come (for them). We see a picture of constant activity to provide for atonement, the covering over of the sins of the individual as well as the nation.

The Holy of Holies was a place of worship. The priests came daily to perform the upkeep on each item in that room and to spend time at each location praying for the various ministries represent there. The bulk of their prayers would be thanksgiving for the provision of God. Their duties also included the sprinkling of blood from the appropriate animal blood sacrifices upon each and every item in that room. We should immediately recognize the purpose of this sprinkling of blood, as the work of Christ at the Cross is the basis upon which all things rest. When I say all things it means all things, not just the ministries represented in this room. Not only the creation of all things rests upon the second person of the Trinity, but the continual sustaining of all things that were created. Without the blood of The Christ there would be no purpose for all of creation for all of creation was for us and the plan of God to provide salvation through it.

The next few verses are complicated. The two separate rooms of the tabernacle represent the separation of God and His people because of sin and sins. He is gloriously Holy. Holiness is a kind of dedication in that God is so dedicated to His character that, without some kind of provision, He is unable to tolerate sin and sins. The tabernacle is the teaching symbol that God provided for His people so that the could understand not only His Holiness, but His provision for their forgiveness when they were not holy. That provision was, of course, based upon His work at the Cross. If He was to occupy the inner room then He needed some kind of separation from all others. The curtain between the two rooms was the representation of that separation between a holy God and sinful man.

The provision that was made would be seen in the ministry of the High Priest. But we need to know a little more about him and his office before we can understand what is going on here. The High Priest, according to the covenant, was the "administrator" of the covenant between man and God. He was like the president of a country - He was the "chief administrator" or the C.O. Under him were the priests, the administrators who reported to him. They were in charge of the Law, the teaching of it, and the enforcement of it. Just like any other government there was the trickle down of governmental responsibilities with governors, police, and others, all the way down to the individual member of the nation. This High Priest was the shadow or type of the ministry of Christ in the New Covenant.

It was the High Priest (the administrator of the Covenant) who was responsible once a year to enter into the Holy Place, sprinkle the blood and pray there for the Nation. He would minister at the Lampstand, the Table of Bread representing the people, and then, before entering the Holy of Holies through the curtain, the golden table of Incense. It was there that the smoke of the incense represented the High Priest's prayers for forgiveness of his people for that year.

It was absolutely essential that the High Priest was "clean" before the Lord. He needed to be a man of complete righteousness and completely (ritually) cleansed from all sin for he could not enter the Holy of Holies without being so - or He would die in the presence of Almighty God when he went through the curtain that separated man from God.

We should also make special note of the end of verse :7. The sacrifices and the Atonement sacrifice only covered sins the people had committed in ignorance. There would be no sacrifice for INTENTIONAL sin against God. This was the sin of Lucifer - intentional rebellion against God. No forgiveness for him or anyone who is found in intentional rebellion against God. Only those who "have a heart for God," the "Circumcised Heart," will find effectiveness in that sacrifice.

It is the High Priest who enters into the Holy of Holies, and "never without blood." You cannot come before Almighty God except for the sacrificial blood of His Son. This Old Testament ritual was the teaching of that very specific requirement.

Verse :8 tells us that the two room construction of the tabernacle was necessary before the sacrifice of Christ. There had to be a place where one could become "holy" or dedicated to God before you could approach Him. The curtain between the outer room and God would have to stay in place... until the real sacrifice of His Son was complete. So then, under the Old Covenant, the sacrifices that were made to animals and the blood of animals that was symbolic of the Blood of Christ - could never actually forgive the sin and sins of the people. Through the symbolism of the sacrifices God granted "Atonement" for their sins. This is a "pledge" of forgiveness. I like to see it as God "sweeping sin under the carpet." All those accumulated sins would be eventually paid for at the Cross, by Jesus the Christ. So the writer states that "as long as the first (covenant) tabernacle was still functioning... the curtain between the people and God was still effective in keeping them separated. The remaining two verses (:9-10) indicate the non-effectiveness of all these "atonements" without the sacrifice and the shedding of the Blood of Christ at the Cross. As you consider these things it would be good to take a close look at Matthew 27:51. Upon the last breath of Christ, "And behold, the veil of the temple (tabernacle) was torn in two, from top to bottom...." Thus signifying that the division between the two rooms of the tabernacle, that kept man from God, now no longer existed - because of Christ's death upon the Cross. No longer would there only be atonement, but now complete forgiveness for those who would "believe" by giving their hearts completely to God the Son for the work He did to grant those who "believe" complete forgiveness and salvation - based upon His sacrifice at the Cross. This is why salvation is only through the "Name" of Jesus - the very Son of God.

C.      9:11-14, The Work of Christ the Eternal High Priest

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.^[6] 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Verse 11 indicates that the New Covenant has a New and better High Priest (the message of the Book of Hebrews). He was "baptized" by John the Baptist into His position as the new High Priest. He, God Himself, would be the administrator of this New Covenant. He would be the High Priest of "good things to come."

The picture the writer displays for us here is in Heaven. The "Real Tabernacle" actually exists there - and all other tabernacles and temples are only shadows or reflections of the "Real Tabernacle" in the heavenlies. There He went "through" that greater and more perfect tabernacle (because it was made by God, not by the hands of mere man) in Heaven. That place is outside of His creation and is in the abode of God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Verse :12 tells us that THIS High Priest did not go through the tabernacle as the Old Covenant High Priest did - with the blood of animals - but with His Own blood. Doing so brought about the redemption of those who would "believe."

Verse :13 concerns the fact that the washings and sacrifices of the Old Testament only made the body clean but not the forgiveness of sin or sins.

Verse :14 "How much more, then" will the blood of the Savior accomplish. He sacrificed Himself, for the Father, that we might be saved from His wrath - that comes as a result of our sin and continual sins. The Son of God was enabled by the Holy Spirit of God to offer Himself "unblemished" to God. His shed blood "cleanses us from acts (sins) that otherwise would lead to death.

The end of verse :14 is perhaps one of the most profound and meaningful moments in the Scriptures. "So that WE (who believe) may serve the Living God." As unbelievable as it may seem... All of creation, all of history, was put into place that SOME may BELIEVE IN ORDER TO SERVE THE LIVING GOD. What is the purpose of salvation? ... To Serve the Living God.

D.      9:15-10:18, Christ's Fulfillment of the Promise

15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 16 For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.^[7] 17 For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. 18 Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood.^[8] 19 For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you. 21 And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. 22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood^[9], and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

The book of Hebrews goes out of it's way to say things multiple times - in order that we might understand the truths presented there.

Christ's sacrifice, and the presentation of His blood, by Him, upon the Mercy Seat, that covers over the requirements of the Law... "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a New Covenant" (vs. 15). "That those who are called." We'll stop right there for a moment and consider this revelation.

But to consider it properly we will need to jump over to John Chapter 17. Jesus is praying to His heavenly Father. Starting at verse 6:

John 17:6

"I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours."

We're not going to argue the point of whether the giving happened in eternity past or at the time of personal salvation. We'll let theologians debate those issues. No matter the answer to that question the truth of these verses is necessary for our proper understanding of the Heart of the Trinity towards those who choose to love God through the Author of Creation, the Son of God incarnated as Jesus the Christ.

It is the Son of God (Jesus) who revealed the Father to "those whom you" (the Father) gave to Jesus the Son - "out of the [entire] world." Verse seven states that Believers are the property of God the Father and He gave them to The Son of God (incarnate) and THEY have obeyed your word (revelation of the Son, in Jesus). Believers know with certainly that Jesus came from the Father, and that He sent Jesus.

How very profound. We belong to God the Father and were a gift to God the Son, in order to accomplish salvation IN US.

Now we can return to Hebrews 9:15

For all the reasons stated above in Chapter 9, those whom the Father has given the Son - "are called that they may receive the promised eternal inheritance."

At the end of verse :15 and on into the following verses we finally find out what a covenant is - A Testament and Will. A legal document that is only opened and read upon the death of the one who made that "covenant" or will.

The Old Covenant was attested through the death of animals - in order to provide atonement for those named as "inheritors." The inheritance is only named and distributed after the death of the one making the will. In the Old Covenant the people of the Nation of Israel received atonement upon the death of certain animals once a year - every year. Moses took that blood and sprinkled the people in the making of that covenant. That covenant was made with the nation. On the other side of that covenant the blood was sprinkled upon the tabernacle and everything it contained - the God side of the covenant. Verse 22 states "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there IS NO FORGIVENESS."

9:23-28     The Heavenly Tabernacle was made perfect when Christ brought His blood as a sacrifice (as High Priest) and God was SATISFIED in His just demands concerning the redemption of believing men and women.

23 Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves^[10] with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages^[11] He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

Imagery is everything here. There are things on earth which are COPIES of things in Heaven. These things on earth are pictures, shadows, images, or types of things that REALLEY EXIST IN HEAVEN! Our existence is only a shadow of something that is REAL in the heavenlies.

The writer states that it was necessary that the copies (things on earth) were purified by a copy of the Blood of Christ, that was yet to come. That was necessary in order to understand that the REAL things in heaven would be PURIFIED by something much better - which was the actual BLOOD OF CHRIST, which was delivered to God as Jesus, after the Resurrection, ascended to heaven and sat down on the Mercy Seat, on the heavenly Ark of the New Covenant, at the Right Hand of God the Father.

When we get to verse 25 we learn that Christ's work is so effective that He only had to do this once, instead of time-after-time, as in the Old Covenant made with the blood of animals. For the former High Priests entered the Holy of Holies with "blood that was not their own."

Just as people have to die once and then face judgment... Jesus died ONCE and took away the reason for judgment for those who choose to believe.

9:28  Jesus' purpose in His second coming

28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many^[12], will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

Verse 28 tells us of the HOPE... That when Jesus Returns He will do so NOT TO BEAR SIN - But to complete the salvation of all those who are waiting for HIM.

Chapter 9 is a wonderful explanation of the work of Christ. All of creation moans and groans while awaiting it's maker and sustainer's, triumph over sin and death. All who believe are waiting for the soon return of Jesus the Christ and the completion of His plan for our salvation.

HEBREWS CH-9
Commentary from Video Series

Hello everyone, and welcome, to our video series on the book of Hebrews. We're teaching a word-on-word, line-on-line Book of Hebrews Video series. This is the Second study on Hebrews Chapter 8.
If you're interested in the rest of the series... here's the link to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/VideoFromJimmy
Dr. D. A. Carson's Analytical Outline of the Book of Hebrews is available free here: https://resources.thegospelcoalition.org/library/analytical-outline-of-hebrews


In chapter 8 our writer was been dealing with the three comparisons found in Chapter 8. The first comparison concerns the ministry of Jesus Christ as High Priest in comparison with Aaron as High Priest. The second comparison concerns the reality of Christ's heavenly sanctuary in comparison with Aaron's earthly sanctuary. the final comparison in this chapter was God's old covenant (Mosaic) under which Aaron performed his duties for the Nation of Israel and God's New Covenant under which Christ will mediate for all mankind, and specifically Israel.

Once again referring to Dr. D. A. Carson's Analytical Outline as our long-term guide,

VI. The Superior Ministry of Jesus the Appointed High Priest, 8:1-10:18
    A. The Superior Ministry of the Heavenly High Priest, 8:1-6
    B. The Superiority of the New Covenant, 8:7-13
    C. The Superiority of the New Covenant Offering, 9:1-10:18
        a. Part-1
            1 - Hebrews 9:1-5, The Old Covenant Sanctuary
            2 - Hebrews 9:6-7, The Old Covenant Offering
            3 - Hebrews 9:8-10, The Old Covenant Approach
            4 - Hebrews 9:11, The New Covenant Place
            5 - Hebrews 9:12, The New Covenant Offering
            6 - Hebrews 9:13-14, The New Covenant Approach
        b. Part-2
            Hebrews 9:15-22, Christ the Mediator of the New Covenant
        c. Part-3
           Hebrews 9:23-28, Christ's Perfect Sacrifice


Later we'll be looking at Christ as the Mediator of the New Covenant, His perfect sacrifice.

        d. Hebrews 10:1-4, Shadow and Reality
        e. Hebrews 10:5-18, The Temporary and the Final

Then the last two points, of the outline will have to wait for our study on Hebrews chapter 10 to get some insight into Shadow VS Reality, ending with What is Temporary and What is Final and Eternal.

Part-1.1
Hebrews 9:1-5, The Old Covenant Sanctuary

Hebrews 9:1
1 Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary.

Because some of these verses are quite long, we'll take verses 1 & 2 individually.

The Old Covenant (Mosaic) was a document that was preparatory to a second document (The New Covenant). We've talked along the way about a Covenant being a will or final testament whose purpose it was to pass along an inheritance to those benefiting from it. In this case the Old Covenant was a teaching document for a people whom God chose based upon Abraham's faith in being willing to sacrifice his son - based upon God's request to do so. This finds it's importance in that the decrees of God, made before the foundation of our world, promised that the Son of God would be sacrificed in order to accomplish the salvation of those God chose to become members of His heavenly family - both by covenant, this was the inheritance, through Israel, and by adoption through members of all of the other nations of the world. Both the inheritances were based upon the kind of faith demonstrated by Abraham at the altar of sacrifice. God said it, Abraham did it, that settled it. But specifically, because of the request to sacrifice his only begotten son.

We should consider this in our world of "easy believing" Christianity. Is our faith such that it could stand the test of sacrificing an only begotten son just because God asked you to?

The Old Covenant was basically divided into three parts. 1 - The Priesthood and its ordinances. 2 - The Requirements of God's Holiness upon His chosen people. 3 - The Gifts and Sacrifices were put into place by His grace because His chosen people and all others could not keep the requirements of God's Holiness because of human sin/sins brought forth through the Fall of man. This third part of "The Law" is the subject which the author of the book of Hebrews is discussing now.

In the book of Deuteronomy Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt into the freedom of the wilderness. There at Mount Sinai God met with Moses and delivered the Law along with strict instructions on how to build His worship center - The Tabernacle. Harry Ironside reminds us that this verse speaks of "Earthly" or "Worldly," depending upon the translation. He says, "We are not to understand these terms as unspiritual, but rather that which is in contrast with the heavenly." It was there that God would put His presence to meet with the High Priest in order to bring sacrificial blood that was sprinkled upon the "Mercy Seat" which was a part of the cover to the Ark of the Covenant. This offering would bring forgiveness for the nation for those sins which were not covered by their daily sacrifices and gifts. A deep study of the tabernacle and its surroundings inside the fence around the tabernacle would clearly indicate that the message of this building and its purposes were centered on the attributes of their loving God. What they would not understand until later progressive revelation was that these very elements clearly pointed to one who would come and mediate the love of God, a Messiah. At the time of David, he and the prophets would clearly understand that the Messiah would be a man/God who would bring the final sacrifice for the sin of man. The prophet Daniel would even give the exact timing of His coming and sacrifice. So, now keep these things in mind as we explore the excellence of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice - the offering that He made.

Hebrews 9:2
2 For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place.

I wish I was a talented graphic artist so I could draw you elegant pictures of the tabernacle - but alas I'm not a talented graphic artist... and copyright law keeps me from including the work of others for you to see. However, a quick internet search for The Tabernacle of Moses, or The tabernacle of Moses 3D will give you what I wished I could do.

Right away, if you're already familiar with the Holy Place, you would notice that the writer does not mention the altar of incense. He mentions the Lampstand, the table (the table that the 12 loaves of bread sit upon), and the 12 loaves. He moves the Altar of Incense into the Holy of Holies and does so because, as the High Priest moves from the Holy Place (where the regular priesthood keeps the incense burning 24/7) to the Holy of Holies that with the High Priest's entry into the Holy Place (the very presence of God) the incense smoke (the wonderful fragrance of the prayers of the people) follows him. We should now visualize the Christ, the Great High Priest, entering into the presence of His heavenly Father with the fragrance of the prayers of the people following Him. Thus, the imagery the writer uses typifies Christ's intercessory work following the ripping of the heavy curtain between the two places that occurred with His death on the Cross.

Our writer's choice of words is important. This tabernacle, a tent (literally), was prepared. When Moses met with God on Sinai, he was given exact instructions as to how this tabernacle was to be constructed -- every little detail was to be a representation of the heavenly tabernacle that was show to Him by God. In the last chapter we told of how Moses and his people only had the resources that one could find in the wilderness to fashion the replica of what he saw in his heavenly vision. Wood, animal skins, gold, copper (brass), linen, etc. It must have been an amazing vision... but, then to have to recreate it with such lowly earthly resources must have been a task indeed.

Inside this structure there were two rooms, back to back. A heavy curtain closed the entryway between the two rooms, and a heavy curtain closed the back door of the first room. This room was called, "The Holy Place." This "Holy Place" only contained three items: a lampstand, having 7 lamps (symbolizing the 7 fold ministry of the Holy Spirit), a table for the placing of 12 loaves of baked unleavened bread, symbolizing the people of the 12 tribes of the nation Israel, and a table made for burning incense. The lampstand stood on the left wall as you entered through the front curtain, across from it on the right wall was the table of bread, and placed in the center of the rear exit, midway inside the second curtain, was the table of incense.

Hebrews 9:3-5
3 Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, 4 having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron's rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

The second room, to the back of the structure, was called "The Holy of Holies." We'll add a small amount of detail to the writer's words as the truths these items represent are very important. As the table of incense was in the doorway between the rooms our writer includes it in the description of the second room. The first main item spoken of is the "Ark of the Covenant." This was basically a gold covered trunk or box that contained a jar of manna (the bread from heaven that God provided for sustenance), Aaron's rod that budded (the evidence that God had specifically called Aaron to be High Priest and to validate his authority in that office). And the two stone tablets upon which God had written the first 10 commandments of the Law.

The lid of the Ark of the Covenant was totally encased in gold. It was the sign that what was above it protected the High Priest, and all of Israel from the terrible holiness and wrath of God against sin. Sitting upon that lid, called "The Seat of Mercy" (basically a throne seat) were two golden angels one at either side of the Arc. We'll probably mention it again in our study, but now would be a good time to remind us that the imagery brought forth by the Tabernacle and the ministry of the High Priest foreshadows The Lord Jesus Christ. The High Priest brought blood from sacrificed animals into the Holy of Holies and placed it upon the Seat of Mercy upon the Ark of the Covenant. Jesus delivers His own blood from His death on the Cross to the Seat of Mercy in the heavenly tabernacle where He now sits upon this throne at the right hand of God His Father - completing the imagery brought forth by Abraham and his son at that altar - and Abraham's son was saved from death by the sacrifice of God's "Lamb," His own Son, the substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of Isaac - and all of humanity who would believe God and His word.

Part-1.2
Hebrews 9:6-7, The Old Covenant Offering

6 Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, 7 but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

The writer now emphasizes the different functions of the priesthood and the High Priest. The regular priests serve in the outer court (the Laver and the Altar of Sacrifice) and the "Holy Place" (the room with the Lampstand, bread and Incense).

But the High Priest enters the second room (the Holy of Holies, containing the very presence of God, the Shakina Glory) once a year carrying the blood offering. That offering is for the annual covering of sins of himself and all the people of the nation. Please note that it is for the covering of sins of the people committed in ignorance. Going further into the meaning here... every sin is in ignorance unless it is heart defined as rebellion or dismissal of God's holiness and power ("I will not submit to God, I will not believe - anything but God.")

We're making the distinction here that only the High Priest can actually be the mediator between God and man, man and God. Only he has the right to deliver the sacrifice to the presence of God the Father because this is the pattern shown to Moses that, in their future, can only be accomplished by the Great High Priest, Jesus the Son of God, to His heavenly Father for the complete remission and forgetting of sin and sins. And thus, He does so as a better High Priest.

Part-1.3
Hebrews 9:8-10, The Old Covenant Approach
8 The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, 9 which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly, both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, 10 since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.

This is a remarkable verse - often overlooked by many. Our writer is speaking of his present, about 67 AD. The Temple still stands, the Tabernacle still represented inside the Temple. The priesthood still functioned; the high priest was still in office. It wasn't until 70 AD when Nero had much of Jerusalem destroyed in an attempt to eradicate the Hebrew people and their religion. At this time our writer/pastor/teacher has members of his mostly Jewish congregation who wish to leave Christianity, probably because of growing persecution, and return to Jewish worship and the Jewish high priest. So, as he writes, "the outer tabernacle is still standing."

He says that this outer tabernacle (the Jewish Temple) is only a symbol to be seen at his present time and the gifts and sacrifices which are offered there... cannot make the worship perfect (complete, reset [a term used for the resetting of a broken bone]) in conscience. Since the gifts and sacrifices are only food and drink and regulations that are ineffective then until the time of reformation, the establishment of the New Covenant. That today is the Hebrew's greatest problem. Their whole system of religion is only a symbol - a symbol that was supposed to lead them to the true Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Son of God - their Great High Priest.

Part-1-4
Hebrews 9:11, The New Covenant Place
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;

So, remembering that this congregation is mostly Jews, and some of them want to return to Judaism, our writer speaks of the public ministry of Jesus as the beginning of His ministry as High Priest. Certainly, we can see that part of Jesus' ministry - healing people, praying for and with people, praying on behalf of others on almost every page - bringing them before His heavenly father. Then at His trial - the beatings - the humiliations - and then His tragic death. Most importantly we see His sacrifice, His blood sacrifice (for there is no remission of sin without the shedding of blood) finally delivered to His heavenly Father, passing through the final curtain with His blood as He is seated on the heavenly throne of mercy at the right hand of God His Father - mediating between our sinful selves and our Holy Father. Where sin is forgiven and forgotten... forever.

Kenneth Wuest says that "the words of 'good things to come', are the translation of a rejected reading. The best texts read, 'of the good things realized,' referring not as the rejected reading, to merely prophetic blessings or objects of hope, but also to blessings already attained, free approach to God, the better covenant, personal communion with God, and the purging of the conscience."

Christ did this there in the "Greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands," that heavenly tabernacle. His sacrificial death brought Him into that heavenly tabernacle finalizing the types and symbols of the Old Testament - completing the Old Covenant, the earthly covenant, the symbolic covenant, and putting into place the long awaited "Better" and New Covenant as He takes His place as the long awaited "Better" and New Great High Priest.


Part-1-5
Hebrews 9:12, The New Covenant Offering

12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Our writer now stresses the value of this New Covenant Offering. The covering of sin made possible through the symbols of the blood of goats and calves came to an end with Christ's entrance into heaven and the delivery of His blood to the Mercy Seat - having entered the eternal Holy of Holies once for all. At that moment in our history eternal redemption is finalized for those who by faith  Abraham's faith - believe and trust God - to the Jew first, and then to the whole world. The Plan from the beginning is now almost all complete... more on that as we continue in Hebrews.

Part-1-6
Hebrews 9:13-14, The New Covenant Approach
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

At this point we should interject that the blood and ash sacrifices under the old covenant were only effective based upon the finished work of Christ. The blood sacrifice is fairly easy to understand as it relates to the Blood of Christ. The symbolism held by the ashes of a heifer seem to be a little harder to discern. Ashes from the burning of a Red Heifer were mixed with water for the cleansing of an Israelite before he could be fit for participation in service to the Tabernacle. We can also include in this imagery the ashes under the Altar of Sacrifice. Ash is the result of complete burning. The original substance from which they came can never be useful again. Now, if we consider the original substance to have been sin... then the ash becomes symbolic of the end of sin's effectiveness in that individual upon which it has been sprinkled. In a deeper sense, we should see Christ's final words, "It is finished."

From an eternal view Christ's work on the cross was always accomplished, from creation's linear time view Christ's sacrifice would occur some 2020 years ago, and was but future to the Old Testament writings. Our writer is making the comparison that since the Old Covenant sacrifices did in fact prove effective in sanctifying human beings from sin to God, then how much more effective would be the Blood of Christ, God's Son. What wonders are yet to be ours in the service of the Living God for eternity because of the eternal and efficient effectiveness of Christ's blood sacrifice?

The Superiority of the New Covenant Part-2
Hebrews 9:15-22, Christ the Mediator of the New Covenant
15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 16 For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. 17 For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. 18 Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you." 21 And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. 22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.


Verse 15 gives us the complete recognition that one of the purposes of becoming the mediator of this new covenant was that those under the old covenant could be assured that they would be the receptors of the full eternal inheritance due to them for their faith in the living God.

Verse 16 goes on to remind us that a covenant is a will that provides for the transfer of an inheritance. The writer of the will must, in fact, die in order for the benefactors to receive their inheritance. Verse 17 restates this fact. Verse 18 reminds that the blood is the key to the effectiveness of the covenant. The covenant was established upon the inauguration of shedding the blood of calves and goats and sprinkling it upon The Book (the Law) and upon the people themselves as well as upon the tabernacle, it's contents and all the vessels of ministry. The Old Covenant was ratified with the death of the goats and calves - over and over again, daily and yearly for the duration of the Old Covenant. Under the Law of the Old Covenant... without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. While that shedding of blood from animals established the Old Covenant, the shedding of the blood of the Son of God established the New Covenant.

Harry Ironside reminds us that this, of course, is not universalism. It does not imply the salvation of all who have lived on earth, and certainly not of fallen angels who defiled the heavens. But it does speak of a time coming when sin and sinners will be banished from earth and the heavens, and God be all in all.


The Superiority of the New Covenant Part-3
Hebrews 9:23-28, Christ�s Perfect Sacrifice

23 Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

So far in our study of Chapter 9 we've looked at the Sanctuary, the offering, and the approach of the Old Covenant - in that it was to be instructive symbolically, to teach the Hebrew people the love and grace of God through one who would come and replace it with a new and real covenant. Then we were introduced to the New Covenant itself - its better Place, its better offering, and its better approach. Then lastly, we were introduced to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as the mediator of this New Covenant. In William Barclay's The Letter to the Hebrews, he states in bold letters about Christ as our mediator that He is The Only Entry To The Presence Of God. When, in the heavenlies as Christ brought His own blood sacrifice, He brought the only sacrifice that was acceptable by God the Father to break the curse of sin upon man. Only the blood of His Son could ever be efficient and effective to accomplish this. And the Son did it as His father asked and did this of His own free will in obedience as a servant in order to bring believing mankind into the family of God. What a great and wonderful gift.

That's a lot of verses to have on the screen at one time. We'll deal with mostly individual verse slides for the remainder of this study.

The last six verses of Chapter 9 explain and define Christ's Perfect Sacrifice.

Verse 23
23 Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

Bible scholar and teacher Charles Pfeiffer says that "the gifts and offerings are in reality performed in the patterns of things in the heavens. Therefore, your approach to the heavenly reality must be even more solemn once you understand these things. On behalf of sinful man, Jesus the great High Priest, entered Heaven itself." (Pfeiffer, Charles F., The epistle to the Hebrews, Everyman's Bible Commentary, Moody Press)

Verse 24
24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

This verse is clear and we can just quote the scripture. For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.
Here once again we see that Christ's high priestly ministry in the New Covenant and the whole process of mediation is "Better" because it is based in a heavenly reality and not in an earthly symbolism that was the Old Covenant.

Verse 25 & 26
24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

Two items are spoken of in this verse. First is that Jesus, as High Priest, does not need to offer His sacrifice for the sin/sins of man on a yearly basis - as the Old Covenant Levitical high priest had to do. Jesus' sacrificial offering happened once for all (all believing and all time). Then it mentions that when He did this, He brought His own sacrificial blood and not the symbolic blood of animals under the Old Covenant. Again, Jesus is "Better."

If Jesus did not bring His "Better" sacrifice there would have been no New Covenant extended to man, and as high priest, he also would have had to bring his offering annually - forever. Second, again the words speak for themselves, "but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." You see, God brought Jesus, His Son, into our world for the very purpose of putting away the guilt and penalty for our sins through the sacrifice of Himself. Salvation is a gift, paid for by God the Father [who offered His Son], God the Son [Jesus who volunteered the sacrifice of Himself], and God the Holy Spirit [who provided the power of accomplishment].

Verse 27 & 28
27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

These two verses are interesting to note. Man is appointed to die once and then to face judgment. The issues at judgment are at least two-fold. First there is the issue of judgment for sin and sins which would find all men guilty and the punishment would be eternal separation and punishment. In that situation man is hopeless. Because God loves mankind and He put into place a plan that would bring covering and then forgiveness for all of mankind who would freely and willingly love God and be obedient to His call. So, Christ came once at His Father's request in order to provide forgiveness. Jesus as eternal God would give His life's blood freely as a final payment for the sins of man. With His death came absolute freedom from the guilt and punishment for sin and sins of many.

Christ's second coming will be without reference to sin - for the sin issue has been paid - for those who eagerly await His return. Judgement then is now reserved for those who have refused the call of God, have refused to Love Him freely and willingly.

As we move from chapter 9 to chapter 10 we will continue exploring this New Covenant, its attributes and the Great High Priest who administers it, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank you for joining us for this lesson from the book of Hebrews Chapter nine. We hope that you have enjoyed this time together and that you have learned much, but mostly that you have a greater understanding of the Old Testament relationship to the New Testament. The New is built on the Old.
If you're interested in the rest of the series... here's the link to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/VideoFromJimmy

REFERENCES:

2012-11-23

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2024-03-19 update