Enter into the Most Holy Place!

Hebrews 9

“Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness.” Hebrews 9:1

When Moses and the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness God instructed them to build a tent where they could worship. The tent was divided into sections with the outer section being the Holy Place and an inside section being called the Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies. In the Most Holy Place was the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant. 

“Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. Above it were cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.” Hebrews 9:3-5

There was a lot of details that went into the tent. God cares about details. He gave the Israelites the plans and they were to follow these plans to the letter. There were rules and regulations that were meant to remind the Israelites of His holiness. The priests carried out daily duties in the Holy Place but the High Priest could only go into the Most Holy Place once a year and he must go in with blood to sprinkle on the altar to offer up sacrifices and to pray for his own sin as well as the sins of the people. They were to treat the Most Holy Place with awe and with reverence and to recognize the holiness of entering into it was entering into the presence of God. 

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:11-12

The people could not enter into the Most Holy Place, only the high priest could. And the High Priest must enter with the blood of goats and calves. But what Christ did on the cross was offer his own blood, which is more perfect than the blood of goats and calves and he secured for us a place in the Most Holy Place. Remember that when Christ died on the cross the veil was torn from top to bottom making a way for us to enter into this Most Holy Place with Him as our High Priest. I can almost picture God taking his Holy hands to the top of that veil and ripping it from top to bottom when Jesus died on that cross. When the High Priest entered into the Most Holy Place a death had to take place in order to take the blood in with Him to purify the people from their sins. When Christ died on the cross, His own blood is what now purifies us from our sins. 

“how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” Hebrews 9:14

The covenant between God and his people called for the blood of animals to purify from sin. But when Christ died he ushered in a new covenant that would allow us to not have to kill animals anymore to gain forgiveness for our sins, the veil was torn which now allows us to enter into a covenant with Him and He became our High Priest removing the veil. Jesus is now our mediator between us and God. We do not have to have another human to ask for forgiveness for us. Jesus spilled his own blood for us so that we do not have to have someone else sprinkle the blood for us. We are purified by the shedding of Christ’s blood rather than the blood of animals. 

“Indeed under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” Hebrews 9:22

The tent that was made by earthly hands was always meant to point to Jesus and what would happen on the cross. God gave us that so that we could better understand what Jesus was doing on the cross for us. 

“For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Now as it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation fo the world. But as it is he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once and after that comes judgement, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:24-28

Note this the High Priest had to go into the Most Holy Place every year to offer up sacrifices for sins. Christ entered into THE Most Holy Place, heaven itself, and he only had to do it once for us. He does not have to suffer and die over and over. It’s done and Christ will appear to us once again, but it is not to deal with sin, but it will be to take us, who are waiting for Him, home!