[This is the tenth section of a paper I wrote for the Great Plains Pastors' Conference (of Circuits 7, 8, & 9) which is titled Notes on Reading the Letter to the Hebrews With a Focus on Chapter 9. It was delivered at Bethany Lutheran College on Wednesday, May 25th
τὸν τῆς πίστεως ἀρχηγὸν καὶ τελειωτὴν Ἰησοῦν]
Hebrews 9
The earthly tabernacle was made on the pattern of
the actual court in heaven, with the Son of God as the High Priest,
the temple, the altar. (8:1-5) This First (Old) Covenant was
established to teach the Promise that access to the presence of God
was only possible through the life-blood. Nothing sinful can live
before the presence of God. The First Covenant was established to
keep the people marked for that promise through ritual/liturgy—this
Divine Service. And it was to be fulfilled and set aside when the New
(Second) Covenant was established by the Incarnate Son of God
(8:7-13)
Hearkening To The Ordinances of the Earthly Sanctuary: v. 1-5
| 1 |
Εἶχε
μὲν οὖν ἡ πρώτη
δικαιώματα
λατρείας
τό
τε ἅγιον κοσμικόν.
|
Then
indeed, even the first covenant had
ordinances
of divine service
and
the earthly sanctuary.
|
| 2 |
σκηνὴ
γὰρ κατεσκευάσθη
ἡ
πρώτη
ἐν
ᾗ ἥ τε λυχνία
καὶ
ἡ τράπεζα
καὶ
ἡ πρόθεσις τῶν ἄρτων,
ἥτις
λέγεται Ἅγια·
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For
a tabernacle was prepared:
the
first part,
in
which was the lampstand,
the
table,
and
the showbread,
which
is called the sanctuary;
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| 3 |
μετὰ
δὲ τὸ δεύτερον καταπέτασμα σκηνὴ
ἡ
λεγομένη Ἅγια Ἁγίων,
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and
behind the second veil,
the
part of the tabernacle
which
is called the Holiest of All,
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| 4 |
χρυσοῦν
ἔχουσα θυμιατήριον
καὶ
τὴν κιβωτὸν τῆς διαθήκης
περικεκαλυμμένην
πάντοθεν χρυσίῳ,
ἐν
ᾗ στάμνος χρυσῆ
ἔχουσα
τὸ μάννα
καὶ
ἡ ῥάβδος Ἀαρὼν ἡ βλαστήσασα
καὶ
αἱ πλάκες τῆς διαθήκης,
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which
had the golden censer
and
the ark of the covenant
overlaid
on all sides with gold,
in
which were the golden pot
that
had the manna,
Aaron’s
rod that budded,
and
the tablets of the covenant;
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| 5 |
ὑπεράνω
δὲ αὐτῆς
Χερουβὶν
δόξης
κατασκιάζοντα
τὸ ἱλαστήριον·
περὶ
ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν νῦν λέγειν κατὰ μέρος.
|
and
above it
were
the cherubim of glory
overshadowing
the mercy seat.
Of
these things we cannot now speak in detail.
|
From
v. 2 σκηνὴ
γὰρ κατεσκευάσθη “For a
tabernacle
was prepared.” This theme is repeated with reference to Christ in
10:5 Θυσίαν
καὶ προσφορὰν οὐκ ἠθέλησας, σῶμα δὲ
κατηρτίσω μοι·“Sacrifice
and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for
Me.” Ps 40 is used to show that this meaning was intended and
proclaimed in the Old Covenant Divine Service. Thus John states of
the Incarnation: Καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο καὶ
ἐσκήνωσεν
ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν
αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ
πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας·”And
the Word became flesh and tabernacled with us, and we beheld His
glory, the glory as the Onlybegotten of the Father, full of grace and
truth.”
The
Tabernacle was prepared:
There is an
outer and an inner place. The outer is veiled from the inner. The
veil marks the division between where a sinner can stand and where a
sinner cannot enter. This construction of the אֹ֥הֶל
מוֹעֵֽד Tabernacle/Temple
under the Old Covenant is a liturgical enactment of Gn 3:22-24. Man
cannot be in the presence of God, the Tree of Life. A barrier was
erected and guarded by cherubim with a flaming sword to prevent
mankind from entering the Sanctuary, to protect sinful man from
eating of the Tree of Life and living forever as aliens from God.
Again the
Sacrament of the New Covenant is a direct fulfillment of the Promise
made to mankind in the curse on Satan. The exile from Eden and access
through the veil to the Son of God is granted only through the
shedding of life-blood.
The author
of Hebrews assumes familiarity with the liturgical structure of the
Tabernacle/Temple and the teaching about their functions. Today we
cannot assume any familiarity with these.
All the articles of the Divine Service surround
the Sanctuary, and surround the Ark of the Covenant. The purpose of
the Ark was to hold the Written Word of God. This is the focal point
of the Divine Service. The Word was to be taught. The Promise
expounded. The testimonies to that Word (the staff of Aaron, the
manna) bore witness to the truth of the Word. The heavenly figures of
cherubim bearing witness to the fact that this Word is not of this
World but from the throne of God Himself.
But to access to the Word was represented in four
stages: 1) Outside the Tabernacle, 2) Within the Outer Court, 3)
Within the Inner Court, 4) Within the Sanctuary.
The entire Tabernacle opened to the East, to the
rising sun. This simple liturgical element teaches not only about the
Creator of light and of the Sun, but of the title He bears as Oriens,
Morning Star, Sunrise. This confession is made beautifully in Is
60:18-20. It is a confession of faith in the Resurrection of Christ
on the 8th Day—the Sunday of the New Covenant. This is
tied directly to Circumcision and entrance from the outside to the
Outer Court.
Outside the Tabernacle is the world.
Believers are sinners who live in the world, and they are aliens and
saints who interact with the world outside the gate of the
Tabernacle. The world consists of our neighbors. And it is this
outside world that needs the grace of God. The writer to the Hebrews
emphasized how the Divine-Human God came to the world to redeem a
world unable to enter His presence. Outside is where the bodies of
the sacrifices were burned. And while the Tabernacle was built on the
pattern of the Son of God in heaven, that Son used the Tabernacle to
show how He would come into the world. The Tabernacle was never
instituted to be our enduring home or city of God's elect.
Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. [He 12:13-14]
A white linen fence/curtain
surrounded the Outer Court separating it from the world. There could
be no casual intrusion to the Outer Court or into the Divine Service
God rendered there for His people. The whiteness of the linen barrier
was a constant reminder of the purity and holiness of what was inside
in contrast to the dirty world outside.
Within the Outer Court is the calling and gathering of those
who hearken to the Word of God. This is the court of Bronze. Access
was granted only for the circumcised—those who had received the
Promise of the Seed of Abraham with the mark on their reproductive
organ. They were to be circumcised on the 8th day, the
first day of the week of their New Creation. And even with this there
was still the requirement of blood sacrifice and baptism. The bronze
altar for the burnt offering מִזְבַּ֣ח
הָעֹלָ֑ה was first, then the bronze basin
כִּיּ֥וֹר
נְחֹ֛שֶׁת .
The bronze altar
מִזְבַּ֣ח
הָעֹלָ֑ה was the center of God's grace
distributing forgiveness to the people.
'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.' [Lv 17:11]
Everyone who hearkened to God's Law could hear the
Gospel at this altar through this Divine Service.
The bronze basin כִּיּ֥וֹר
נְחֹ֛שֶׁת stood at the entrance to the Inner
Court. According to Ex 20:17-21 only those men with a call to be
priest (sons of Aaron) could enter the Inner Court, and for this they
needed to be baptized (washed). They also needed to be baptized when
exiting the Inner Court.
There were two basic kinds of baptisms at the
כִּיּ֥וֹר
נְחֹ֛שֶׁת. The first was upon ordination into
the priesthood. In Ex 40:11-16 we learn that after Aaron and the
Priests received this full washing, they were dressed in the
righteousness of God with the robes of the priestly service. This
particular baptism was done only once at their ordination. And so
also the Christ subjected Himself to this ordinance by the hand of
the last Prophet of the Old Covenant [Mt 3:15]. [cf also 1 Pe 2:4-10]
The second kind of baptism was of hands and feet
for the daily service in the Inner Court and Holy of Holies. Only the
priests were washed. [compare the foot washing Jn 13, “after the
supper had ended” i.e. after the giving of the New Covenant/the
Lord's Supper.]
Within the Inner Court (Sanctuary) stood
the liturgical tools made of Gold. On the right hand (North) was the
Table הַשֻּׁלְחָן
for the לֶחֶם
פָּנִים Showbread/Bread
of the Presence [Ex 25:23-30]. 12 loaves were placed there, one
representing each tribe of the sons of Israel. The setting out of
fresh loaves was part of the Sabbath Day service [Lv 25:23-30]. The
Kehathites בני
קהת בן לוי would bring fresh loaves on each
Sabbath, the Priests were to consume the loaves from the previous
week [1 Chr 9:32]. Thus, they were the presence of these tribes
before God.
The Golden Lampstand
מְנֹרַ֖ת
זָהָ֣ב טָה֑וֹר [Ex
25:31-40] was one lamp with 7 lights. These were never to go
out [Lv 24:2]. The Menorah stood on the left hand (South) as one
enters the Sanctuary. It was to be tended twice a day [Ex 30:7].
These seven lights were the only light in the Sanctuary. While the
imagery of branches used in the design is common for Christ [Is 4:2;
11:1] and the symbolical use of Light as representing the Christ's
presence is also common [Is 49:6], there is another Biblical
understanding of the meaning of the Menorah. That is, it represents
the New Covenant Church that would come to be [Rv 1:20ff].
With the Old Covenant Church represented on the one side and the New
Covenant Church represented on the other, in the middle, blocking the
way before the Veil stood the Golden Altar of Incense
מִזְבֵּ֖חַ
מִקְטַ֣ר קְטֹ֑רֶת.
Here, before the veil הַפָּרֹ֔כֶת
אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־אֲרֹ֣ן הָעֵדֻ֑ת,
stood an altar that would be daily sprinkled with the blood of the
sin offering, and twice a day incense would be offered on it. These
are both a sweet smelling aroma before God and liturgically they are
the prayers of God's saints, both of the Old and New Covenants [Rv
5:8; 8:3-4].
Two other things to note:
First: Old Covenant or New Covenant-Prayer is only for saints and
only saints can pray. Prayer comes after faith, after circumcision,
after baptism, after the forgiveness of sins in Sacrifice or
Sacrament. It is the holy response of faith. And the prayer of God's
people is there in the presence of God at the veil, at the gateway to
Eden. The aroma of the incense comes before God, as does prayer
through faith in Christ.
Second: This is as far as
the regular priest could go. Only the High Priest was allowed beyond
the altar, past prayer beyond the veil into the Holy of Holies. And
then, only once a year. This Divine Service will be the focus of the
next verses.
The
Veil הַפָּרֹֽכֶת
is representative of the Body
of Christ in His Incarnation [He 10:20]. The veil is access to the
presence of God. And that is what the Holy of Holies was designed to
represent.
Within the Holy of
Holies קֹדֶשׁ
הַקֳּדָשִׁים stood in darkness. It
contained only one thing. The Ark of the Covenant
אֲרֹ֣ן
הָעֵדֻ֑ת. It was a gold box. It held a jar of
Manna, Aaron's staff (which had budded), the two stone tablets of the
Law, and the books of the Covenant. The lid was made with the shape
of two cherubim facing each other with wingtips outstretched to the
center. The surface of the covering on the lid was called
הַכַּפֹּ֗רֶת
אֲשֶׁר֙ עַל־הָ֣עֵדֻ֔ת “the
covering which is on the Testimony,” τὸ
ἱλαστήριον the “Mercy Seat.” Here is where God
would manifest His presence for the people [Lv 16:2; 1 Sm 4:4; 2 Sm
6:2; Ps 80:1].
God's Written Word is at the heart of everything.
But the sinful human High-Priest could only enter this space one time
a year.
Hearkening To The Day of Atonement יוֹם כִּפּוּר, v. 6-10
The Old
Covenant Divine Service:
| 6 |
Τούτων
δὲ οὕτως κατεσκευασμένων,
εἰς
μὲν τὴν πρώτην σκηνὴν διὰ παντὸς
εἰσίασιν οἱ ἱερεῖς τὰς λατρείας
ἐπιτελοῦντες,
|
Now
when these things had been thus prepared,
the
priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle,
performing the Divine services.
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| 7 |
εἰς
δὲ τὴν δευτέραν
ἅπαξ
τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ μόνος ὁ ἀρχιερεύς,
οὐ
χωρὶς αἵματος,
ὃ
προσφέρει ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ
καὶ
τῶν τοῦ λαοῦ ἀγνοημάτων,
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But
into the second part the high priest went alone once a year,
not
without blood,
which
he offered for himself
and
for the people’s sins committed in ignorance;
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The Meaning of the Old Covenant Divine Service:
| 8 |
τοῦτο
δηλοῦντος τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου,
μήπω
πεφανερῶσθαι τὴν τῶν ἁγίων ὁδὸν
ἔτι
τῆς πρώτης σκηνῆς ἐχούσης στάσιν,
|
This
is what the Holy Spirit is indicating:
that
the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest
while
the first tabernacle was still standing.
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| 9 |
ἥτις
παραβολὴ εἰς τὸν καιρὸν τὸν
ἐνεστηκότα,
καθ’
ἣν δῶρά τε καὶ θυσίαι προσφέρονται
μὴ
δυνάμεναι κατὰ συνείδησιν
τελειῶσαι
τὸν λατρεύοντα,
|
It
was symbolic for the present time
in
which both gifts and sacrifices are offered
which
cannot make with regard to conscience
the
one who performed the divine service perfect,
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| 10 |
μόνον
ἐπὶ βρώμασιν
καὶ
πόμασιν
καὶ
διαφόροις βαπτισμοῖς,
δικαιώματα
σαρκὸς
μέχρι
καιροῦ διορθώσεως ἐπικείμενα.
|
concerned
only with foods
and
drinks,
various
washings,
and
fleshly ordinances imposed
until
the time of reformation.
|
The author interprets the Divine Service of the
Old Covenant. He describes the service in vv6-7 and expounds the
meaning in vv. 8-10.
V. 6 points out that the author is drawing a
distinction between the every-day service and this unique,
once-a-year service performed only by the High-Priest. In contrast to
the rest of the Tabernacle, the sinful High-Priest could only enter
the Holy of Holies once per year, at God's command in the Written
Word. Because that Old Covenant High-Priest was a sinner, he needed
not only to have a blood sacrifice for the congregation he served,
but also for himself. The argument is this: If the Old Covenant
sacrifices were meant to be final and sufficient for sin, then the
priest could have done the job once and not needed to go back year
after year. Since they were not complete once they were performed the
first time, they are not designed to be permanent. Rather they point
to something else that is permanent.
The Old
Covenant meal ( לֶחֶם
פָּנִים), the
washing/baptism, the preaching, the whole Divine Service pointed to
something new and better from God. It did this
through the very fact that it μὴ
δυνάμεναι κατὰ συνείδησιν τελειῶσαι
“it was not able to perfect the conscience”. Τελειῶσαι
in this sense is not moral perfection, but the idea of completing or
making whole, without blemish. Thus, with respect to the life and
work of Christ, He Himself utters the sentence on the Old Covenant
Divine Service: ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν· Τετέλεσται
[Jn 19:30]
Through this liturgical design, the Holy Spirit
indicated that the tabernacle and earthly service were not the
solution, but rather they pointed to the real solution:
τοῦτο δηλοῦντος τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου,
the Holy Spirit indicating this,μήπω πεφανερῶσθαι τὴν τῶν ἁγίων ὁδὸν
that the way into the Holiest of All was not made manifest
ἔτι τῆς πρώτης σκηνῆς ἐχούσης στάσιν
while yet the first tabernacle was still standing.
The Old (First) Covenant was not designed to
answer the problem of sin. It was designed to proclaim the problem of
Sin and to proclaim the Promise of the Son of God's Incarnation for
our redemption.
At this point drills into the center and focus of
the whole Epistle. He has carefully expounded several different ways
in which God spoke in times past to the fathers.
ἐπ’ ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν τούτων ἐλάλησεν ἡμῖν ἐν υἱῷ
in these last days He has spoken to us by means of the Son...
Hearkening To The Son's Fulfillment: v. 11-14
| 11 |
Χριστὸς
δὲ παραγενόμενος
ἀρχιερεὺς
τῶν γενομένων ἀγαθῶν
διὰ
τῆς μείζονος καὶ τελειοτέρας σκηνῆς
οὐ
χειροποιήτου,
τοῦτ’
ἔστιν οὐ ταύτης τῆς κτίσεως,
|
But
Christ came
as
High Priest of the good things to come,
with
the greater and more perfect tabernacle
not
made with hands,
that
is, not of this creation.
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| 12 |
οὐδὲ
δι’ αἵματος
τράγων
καὶ
μόσχων
διὰ
δὲ τοῦ ἰδίου αἵματος,
εἰσῆλθεν
ἐφάπαξ εἰς τὰ ἅγια,
αἰωνίαν
λύτρωσιν εὑράμενος.
|
Not
with the blood
of
goats
and
calves,
but
with His own blood
He
entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal
redemption.
|
The Old Covenant Tabernacle was patterned on the
presence of the Son of God in heaven. The Son of God became His own
Tabernacle through the Incarnation. The blood of Christ is
| 13 |
εἰ
γὰρ τὸ αἷμα τράγων καὶ ταύρων καὶ
σποδὸς δαμάλεως ῥαντίζουσα τοὺς
κεκοινωμένους ἁγιάζει πρὸς τὴν τῆς
σαρκὸς καθαρότητα,
|
For
if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer,
sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh,
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| 14 |
πόσῳ
μᾶλλον τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ,
ὃς
διὰ πνεύματος αἰωνίου ἑαυτὸν
προσήνεγκεν ἄμωμον τῷ θεῷ,
καθαριεῖ
τὴν συνείδησιν ἡμῶν ἀπὸ νεκρῶν
ἔργων εἰς τὸ λατρεύειν θεῷ ζῶντι.
|
how
much more shall the blood of Christ,
who
through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God,
cleanse
your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
|
Hearken to the comparison of the value of the
blood of creatures in comparison with the life-blood of the
Divine-Human Eternal Son of God.
Hearkening To The Death Of The Mediator: v. 15-17
| 15 |
Καὶ
διὰ τοῦτο
διαθήκης
καινῆς μεσίτης ἐστίν,
ὅπως
θανάτου γενομένου
εἰς
ἀπολύτρωσιν τῶν ἐπὶ τῇ πρώτῃ διαθήκῃ
παραβάσεων τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν λάβωσιν
οἱ κεκλημένοι τῆς αἰωνίου κληρονομίας.
|
And
for this reason
He
is the Mediator of the new covenant,
by
means of death,
for
the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant,
that
those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal
inheritance.
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| 16 |
ὅπου
γὰρ διαθήκη,
θάνατον
ἀνάγκη φέρεσθαι τοῦ διαθεμένου·
|
For
where there is a testament,
there
must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
|
| 17 |
διαθήκη
γὰρ ἐπὶ νεκροῖς βεβαία,
ἐπεὶ
μήποτε ἰσχύει ὅτε ζῇ ὁ διαθέμενος.
|
For
a testament is in force after men are dead,
since
it has no power at all while the testator lives.
|
The New Covenant in His Blood is established by
the shedding of His blood. The comparison here is between the normal
everyday “last will and testament.” The inheritors cannot
benefit from the testament/covenant unless the maker of the covenant
dies.
Hearkening To The Blood Of The Covenants: v. 18-23
| 18 |
ὅθεν
οὐδὲ ἡ πρώτη χωρὶς αἵματος
ἐγκεκαίνισται·
|
Therefore
not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood.
|
| 19 |
λαληθείσης
γὰρ πάσης ἐντολῆς κατὰ τὸν νόμον
ὑπὸ Μωϋσέως παντὶ τῷ λαῷ,
λαβὼν
τὸ αἷμα τῶν μόσχων
μετὰ
ὕδατος
καὶ
ἐρίου κοκκίνου
καὶ
ὑσσώπου αὐτό τε τὸ βιβλίον
καὶ
πάντα τὸν λαὸν ἐράντισεν,
|
For
when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to
the law,
he
took the blood of calves and goats,
with
water,
scarlet
wool,
and
hyssop,
and
sprinkled both the book itself
and
all the people,
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| 20 |
λέγων·
Τοῦτο
τὸ αἷμα τῆς διαθήκης
ἧς
ἐνετείλατο πρὸς ὑμᾶς ὁ θεός·
|
saying,
“This
is the blood of the covenant
which
God has commanded you.”
|
| 21 |
καὶ
τὴν σκηνὴν δὲ
καὶ
πάντα τὰ σκεύη τῆς λειτουργίας τῷ
αἵματι ὁμοίως ἐράντισεν.
|
Then
likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the
vessels of the ministry.
|
| 22 |
καὶ
σχεδὸν ἐν αἵματι πάντα καθαρίζεται
κατὰ τὸν νόμον,
καὶ
χωρὶς αἱματεκχυσίας οὐ γίνεται
ἄφεσις.
|
And
according to the law almost all things are purified with blood,
and
without shedding of blood there is no remission.
|
| 23 |
Ἀνάγκη
οὖν τὰ μὲν ὑποδείγματα τῶν ἐν τοῖς
οὐρανοῖς τούτοις καθαρίζεσθαι,
αὐτὰ
δὲ τὰ ἐπουράνια κρείττοσι θυσίαις
παρὰ ταύτας.
|
Therefore
it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens
should be purified with these,
but
the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
|
Just as in every day life we see that the last
will and testament/covenant can only be put into effect through the
death of the one making the will, so the Old Covenant was also
established through death and the shedding of life-blood. Even the
individual tools used in the Divine Service of the Old Covenant were
covered with blood. They were copies of the things that really exist
in heaven. The Son of God is that reality. His Incarnation is both
the source and fulfillment of the pattern from which the earthly
Tabernacle, its rituals, and tools were made.
Hearkening To The Power of Christ's Blood: v. 24-28
| 24 |
οὐ
γὰρ εἰς χειροποίητα εἰσῆλθεν ἅγια
Χριστός,
ἀντίτυπα
τῶν ἀληθινῶν,
ἀλλ’
εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν οὐρανόν,
νῦν
ἐμφανισθῆναι τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ θεοῦ
ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν·
|
For
Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands,
which
are copies of the true,
but
into heaven itself,
now
to appear in the presence of God for us;
|
| 25 |
οὐδ’
ἵνα πολλάκις προσφέρῃ ἑαυτόν,
ὥσπερ
ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς εἰσέρχεται εἰς τὰ ἅγια
κατ’ ἐνιαυτὸν ἐν αἵματι ἀλλοτρίῳ,
|
not
that He should offer Himself often,
as
the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood
of another—
|
| 26 |
ἐπεὶ
ἔδει αὐτὸν πολλάκις παθεῖν ἀπὸ
καταβολῆς κόσμου·
νυνὶ
δὲ
ἅπαξ
ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων
εἰς
ἀθέτησιν ἁμαρτίας διὰ τῆς θυσίας
αὐτοῦ πεφανέρωται.
|
He
then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the
world;
but
now,
once
at the end of the ages,
He
has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
|
| 27 |
καὶ
καθ’ ὅσον ἀπόκειται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις
ἅπαξ
ἀποθανεῖν,
μετὰ
δὲ τοῦτο κρίσις,
|
And
as it is appointed for men
to
die once,
but
after this the judgment,
|
| 28 |
οὕτως
καὶ ὁ Χριστός,
ἅπαξ
προσενεχθεὶς εἰς τὸ πολλῶν ἀνενεγκεῖν
ἁμαρτίας,
ἐκ
δευτέρου χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας ὀφθήσεται
τοῖς αὐτὸν ἀπεκδεχομένοις εἰς
σωτηρίαν.
|
was
offered once to bear the sins of many.
To
those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart
from sin, for salvation.
|
Christ is the genuine source, the genuine
fulfillment. The repetition of sacrifices and ceremonies under the
Old Covenant and ceremonies is done, fulfilled. Because He IS
יהוה He
does not need to repeat the sacrifice. Now His life-blood is given to
us until His return.
