Hebrews 9:23 - Prayer Tents



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Hebrews 9
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A Visible Parable

9That first plan contained directions for worship, and a specially designed place of worship.G3767G3303G4413G2192G2532G1345G2999G5037G2886G39 2A large outer tent was set up. The lampstand, the table, and "the bread of presence" were placed in it. This was called "the Holy Place."G1063G2680G4633G2680G4413G1722G3739G5037G3087G2532G5132G2532G4286G740G3748G3004G39 3Then a curtain was stretched, and behind it a smaller, inside tent set up. This was called "the Holy of Holies."G1161G3326G1208G2665G4633G3588G3004G39G39 4In it were placed the gold incense altar and the gold-covered ark of the covenant containing the gold urn of manna, Aaron's rod that budded, the covenant tablets,G2192G5552G2369G2532G2787G1242G4028G3840G5553G1722G3739G5552G4713G2192G3131G2532G2G4464G985G2532G4109G1242 5and the angel-wing-shadowed mercy seat. But we don't have time to comment on these now.G1161G5231G846G5502G1391G2683G2435G4012G3739G3756G2076G3568G3004G2596G3313 6After this was set up, the priests went about their duties in the large tent.G1161G5130G2680G3779G2680G2409G1524G1275G1519G3303G4413G4633G2005G2999 7Only the high priest entered the smaller, inside tent, and then only once a year, offering a blood sacrifice for his own sins and the people's accumulated sins.G1161G1519G1208G749G3441G530G1763G3756G5565G129G3739G4374G5228G1438G2532G51G2992 8This was the Holy Spirit's way of showing with a visible parable that as long as the large tent stands, people can't just walk in on God.G40G4151G5124G1213G3598G39G5319G3380G5319G4413G4633G2192G2089G4714 9Under this system, the gifts and sacrifices can't really get to the heart of the matter, can't assuage the conscience of the people,G3748G3850G1519G2540G1764G2596G3739G4374G5037G1435G2532G2378G1410G3361G5048G3000G5048G2596G4893 10but are limited to matters of ritual and behavior. It's essentially a temporary arrangement until a complete overhaul could be made.G3440G1909G1033G2532G4188G2532G1313G909G2532G4561G1345G1945G3360G2540G1357

Pointing to the Realities of Heaven

11But when the Messiah arrived, high priest of the superior things of this new covenant, he bypassed the old tent and its trappings in this created world and went straight into heaven's "tent"—the true Holy Place—once and for all.G1161G5547G3854G749G18G3195G1223G3187G2532G5046G4633G3756G5499G5123G3756G5026G2937 12He also bypassed the sacrifices consisting of goat and calf blood, instead using his own blood as the price to set us free once and for all.G3761G1223G129G5131G2532G3448G1161G1223G2398G129G1525G2178G1519G39G2147G166G3085 13If that animal blood and the other rituals of purification were effective in cleaning up certain matters of our religion and behavior,G1063G1487G129G5022G2532G5131G2532G4700G1151G4472G2840G37G4314G2514G4561 14think how much more the blood of Christ cleans up our whole lives, inside and out.G4214G3123G2511G129G5547G3739G1223G166G4151G4374G1438G299G2316G2511G5216G4893G575G3498G2041G1519G3000G2198G2316 15Through the Spirit, Christ offered himself as an unblemished sacrifice, freeing us from all those dead-end efforts to make ourselves respectable, so that we can live all out for God.G2532G5124G1223G2076G3316G2537G1242G3704G1096G2288G1519G629G3847G1909G4413G1242G2564G2983G1860G166G2817 16Like a will that takes effect when someone dies, the new covenant was put into action at Jesus' death. His death marked the transition from the old plan to the new one, canceling the old obligations and accompanying sins, and summoning the heirs to receive the eternal inheritance that was promised them. He brought together God and his people in this new way.G1063G3699G1242G318G5342G2288G1303 17(SEE 9:16)G1063G1242G949G1909G3498G1893G2480G3379G2480G3379G3753G1303G2198 18Even the first plan required a death to set it in motion.G3606G3761G4413G1457G5565G129 19After Moses had read out all the terms of the plan of the law—God's "will"—he took the blood of sacrificed animals and, in a solemn ritual, sprinkled the document and the people who were its beneficiaries.G1063G5259G3475G2980G3956G1785G3956G2992G2596G3551G2983G129G3448G2532G5131G3326G5204G2532G2847G2053G2532G5301G4472G5037G975G846G2532G3956G2992 20And then he attested its validity with the words, "This is the blood of the covenant commanded by God."G3004G5124G129G1242G3739G2316G1781G4314G5209 21He did the same thing with the place of worship and its furniture.G1161G3668G4472G129G2532G4633G2532G3956G4632G3009 22Moses said to the people, "This is the blood of the covenant God has established with you." Practically everything in a will hinges on a death. That's why blood, the evidence of death, is used so much in our tradition, especially regarding forgiveness of sins.G2532G4975G3956G2511G2596G3551G2511G1722G129G2532G5565G130G1096G3756G859 23That accounts for the prominence of blood and death in all these secondary practices that point to the realities of heaven. It also accounts for why, when the real thing takes place, these animal sacrifices aren't needed anymore, having served their purpose.G3767G318G5262G3303G1722G3772G2511G5125G1161G2032G846G2909G2378G3844G5025 24For Christ didn't enter the earthly version of the Holy Place; he entered the Place Itself, and offered himself to God as the sacrifice for our sins.G1063G5547G1525G3756G1525G1519G39G5499G499G228G235G1519G3772G846G3568G1718G4383G2316G5228G2257 25He doesn't do this every year as the high priests did under the old plan with blood that was not their own;G3761G2443G4374G1438G4178G5618G749G1525G1519G39G2596G1763G1722G129G245 26if that had been the case, he would have to sacrifice himself repeatedly throughout the course of history. But instead he sacrificed himself once and for all, summing up all the other sacrifices in this sacrifice of himself, the final solution of sin.G1893G1163G846G4178G3958G575G2602G2889G1161G3568G530G1909G4930G165G5319G1519G115G266G1223G2378G846 27Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences.G2532G2596G3745G606G444G530G599G1161G3326G5124G2920 28Christ's death was also a one-time event, but it was a sacrifice that took care of sins forever. And so, when he next appears, the outcome for those eager to greet him is, precisely, salvation.G3779G5547G530G4374G1519G399G266G4183G553G846G3700G1537G1208G5565G266G1519G4991


The Message (MSG). All Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. More details.
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