Hebrews 9

1-22 The Earthly and the Heavenly Sanctuaries

• In the first tent were the Holy Place – which contained the lamp stand, table, and bread of the Presence – and the Holy of Holies, which contained the golden altar of incense, the golden ark of the covenant (holding manna, Aaron’s rod and covenant tablets) above which were the cherubim of glory hovering over the mercy seat.
• The priests went continually into the Holy Place to carry out their ritual duties, but only once a year did the High Priest go into the Holy of Holies, to offer blood for himself and for the people.
• This means that as long as the first tent stands, we have no entry into the sanctuary. By this, I think the author means that under Jewish law, even priests had no direct access to God. He accepted their worship, but access to God was limited to the High Priest, under strict rules. The sacrifices they offered could not make them perfect enough to stand in his presence. Even when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies, it was filled with smoke.
• BUT when Christ came as High Priest, he entered into the Holy of Holies – not the earthly, symbolic one, but the heavenly dwelling of God – by offering not the blood of animals but his own blood.
• HIS sacrifice was able to make us perfect before God.
• THEREFORE, he is the mediator of a new covenant – a new will and testament – made effective by his death, just as all wills become effective at death.
• As the first covenant was established by blood (of calves and goats), so the second was established by blood.
• “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” This is a spiritual axiom.

23-28 Christ’s Sacrifice Takes Away Sin

• Heavenly things need to be cleansed with better sacrifices than earthly things.
• Christ did not enter into the copy of heaven (the tabernacle Holy of Holies) but into heaven itself.
• Nor did he have to do it annually, as the Jewish High Priest did, for then he would have to suffer again and again.
• He sacrificed himself “once for all” to remove sin, dying only once – just as all mortals die only once – to appear again – not to deal with sin, but to save those who wait for him to come. There will be no sacrifice for sin when he comes again, no sin imputed to him for which he must die, only the gathering of the righteous, those who look forward to his coming.