9That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth.G3767G3303G4413G2192G2532G1345G2999G5037G2886G392There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place.G1063G2680G4633G2680G4413G1722G3739G5037G3087G2532G5132G2532G4286G740G3748G3004G393Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place.G1161G3326G1208G2665G4633G3588G3004G39G394In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron's staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant.G2192G5552G2369G2532G2787G1242G4028G3840G5553G1722G3739G5552G4713G2192G3131G2532G2G4464G985G2532G4109G12425Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark's cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain these things in detail now.G1161G5231G846G5502G1391G2683G2435G4012G3739G3756G2076G3568G3004G2596G33136When these things were all in place, the priests regularly entered the first room as they performed their religious duties.G1161G5130G2680G3779G2680G2409G1524G1275G1519G3303G4413G4633G2005G29997But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.G1161G1519G1208G749G3441G530G1763G3756G5565G129G3739G4374G5228G1438G2532G51G29928By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use.G40G4151G5124G1213G3598G39G5319G3380G5319G4413G4633G2192G2089G47149This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them.G3748G3850G1519G2540G1764G2596G3739G4374G5037G1435G2532G2378G1410G3361G5048G3000G5048G2596G489310For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies—physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established.G3440G1909G1033G2532G4188G2532G1313G909G2532G4561G1345G1945G3360G2540G1357
Christ Is the Perfect Sacrifice
11So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world.G1161G5547G3854G749G18G3195G1223G3187G2532G5046G4633G3756G5499G5123G3756G5026G293712With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.G3761G1223G129G5131G2532G3448G1161G1223G2398G129G1525G2178G1519G39G2147G166G308513Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people's bodies from ceremonial impurity.G1063G1487G129G5022G2532G5131G2532G4700G1151G4472G2840G37G4314G2514G456114Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.G4214G3123G2511G129G5547G3739G1223G166G4151G4374G1438G299G2316G2511G5216G4893G575G3498G2041G1519G3000G2198G231615That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.G2532G5124G1223G2076G3316G2537G1242G3704G1096G2288G1519G629G3847G1909G4413G1242G2564G2983G1860G166G281716Now when someone leaves a will, it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead.G1063G3699G1242G318G5342G2288G130317The will goes into effect only after the person's death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect.G1063G1242G949G1909G3498G1893G2480G3379G2480G3379G3753G1303G219818That is why even the first covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal.G3606G3761G4413G1457G5565G12919For after Moses had read each of God's commandments to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God's law and all the people, using hyssop branches and scarlet wool.G1063G5259G3475G2980G3956G1785G3956G2992G2596G3551G2983G129G3448G2532G5131G3326G5204G2532G2847G2053G2532G5301G4472G5037G975G846G2532G3956G299220Then he said, "This blood confirms the covenant God has made with you."G3004G5124G129G1242G3739G2316G1781G4314G520921And in the same way, he sprinkled blood on the Tabernacle and on everything used for worship.G1161G3668G4472G129G2532G4633G2532G3956G4632G300922In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.G2532G4975G3956G2511G2596G3551G2511G1722G129G2532G5565G130G1096G3756G85923That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals.G3767G318G5262G3303G1722G3772G2511G5125G1161G2032G846G2909G2378G3844G502524For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf.G1063G5547G1525G3756G1525G1519G39G5499G499G228G235G1519G3772G846G3568G1718G4383G2316G5228G225725And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal.G3761G2443G4374G1438G4178G5618G749G1525G1519G39G2596G1763G1722G129G24526If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.G1893G1163G846G4178G3958G575G2602G2889G1161G3568G530G1909G4930G165G5319G1519G115G266G1223G2378G84627And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,G2532G2596G3745G606G444G530G599G1161G3326G5124G292028so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.G3779G5547G530G4374G1519G399G266G4183G553G846G3700G1537G1208G5565G266G1519G4991
Dublin, OH
. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place.G1063
