BIBLE STUDY MANUALS: HEBREWS CHAPTER 9

HEBREWS CHAPTER 9

I) REVIEW OF HEB 7-8 BELOW]:

or move to the beginning of Hebrews chapter 9

[Biblestudymanuals]:

"So in Hebrews chapter 7, the author argues that the legal (Mosaic Law) and religious (Levitical priesthood) components of the Old Covenant were inadequate relative to being righteous before a Holy God; and therefore had to be replaced by something better. Thus, the author launches into a discussion of a forever priesthood that is superior to the Levitical priesthood - the Melchizedekian priesthood. The author argues that since the Melchizedekian priesthood ushered in a superior priesthood, it follows that the whole legal system on which the Levitical institutions were predicated also had to be changed because mankind failed to keep its commandments and be righteous.

Therefore, in place of the Mosaic system there would come a "better hope" (v. 19), lit., a sure hope of righteousness unto eternal life. Verse 22, identifies this "better hope" as a "better covenant." The context which follows indicates that this "better covenant" can be none other than the New Covenant as stipulated in Heb 8:8-12. As this passage continues, it will be established that the New Covenant applies to the readership of believers in Christ within the period of time of the Church Age in the sense that the Priest according to the order of Melchizadek, Jesus Christ - His substitutionary atonement for sins suffices as a once for all sacrifice for sins unto eternal life for those that trust in Him for it in order to be declared righteous unto eternal life by grace: Those of the future generation of Israel and Judah and those of all mankind of all ages.

Whereupon the author of Hebrews provides a further explanation in chapter 8 which strongly argued that the "better covenant" must be the New Covenant, which is corroborated by the citation in Heb 8:7-13 of the New Covenant prophecy found in Jer 31:31-34 in Hebrews 8:8-12:

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(Heb 8:6 NKJV) "But now He [Jesus, vv. 7:24-8:5] has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.

(Heb 8:7 NKJV) For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second."

¤ [But now Jesus' ministry is a more excellent one because He is Mediator, i.e., Intercessor - one Who arbitrates between two parties (God and Israel) - of a better covenant than the covenant of the Mosaic Law. This is because the New Covenant was established on better promises - those based on the substitutionary atonement work of Christ alone - promises that are faultless. For if that first covenant of the Law had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second covenant]

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(Heb 8:8 NKJV) Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah -

(Heb 8:9 NKJV) not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the LORD.

(Heb 8:10 NKJV) For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

(Heb 8:11 NKJV) None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.

(Heb 8:12 NKJV) For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. [Jer 31:31-34 ]

¤ [Heb 8:8-9 indicate that past generations of Israel - both kingdoms - were found at fault in keeping the old covenant of the Law, (Hos 1:9-11; 2:14-23 ). But in the future the LORD will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah - not according to the covenant He made with the generation He brought out of Egypt. Because the Israelites did not faithfully keep the old covenant of the Law, the LORD declared to both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, (Hos 1:9-11, note that author and prophet Hosea included both kingdoms): "Name him [Hosea's newborn son] Lo-ammi, which means "not My people" for you are not My people and I am not your God. Yet the number of the sons of Israel will be like the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered; And in the place Where it is said to them, 'You are not My people,' It will be said to them, 'You are the sons of the living God.' And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together, And they will appoint for themselves one leader, And they will go up from the land, For great will be the day of Jezreel." (Hos 1:9-11; 2:14-23 ; cf. Ro 9:25-26 ). Note that the word rendered "Jezreel" is a reference back to Hos 1:4-5, where Israel's defeat in the Valley of Jezreel is predicted; but it is also a reference forward to 2:22-23, where Jezreel really stands for Israel, in the sense of the nation's being "sown" in the land by God for her rebirth and multiplication. So after those days of generations of Israel not being God's people, in a future time the LORD will make a New Covenant with a future generation of the house of Israel and the house of Judah, (ref. Heb 8:8-12; Jer 31:31-34 ).

Heb 8:10-12 continues to quote from Jer 31:31-34 about the New Covenant which stipulates that God and a future generation of the house of Israel and the house of Judah are exclusively the parties of that covenant:

"I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."

Notice that the fulfillment of the New Covenant does not have in view believers of the Church Age or the ages before that. Nevertheless the ongoing context of the Book of Hebrews repeatedly conveys the message that believers in Christ of the Church Age benefit from the ministry of Jesus Christ which will fulfill that future covenant, although they are not party to that covenant. For the parties that will experience the fulfillment of the New Covenant remain as originally stipulated: God and a future generation of the house of Israel and the house of Judah regathered in the promised land. For just as a father can make an agreement with his son to start an enterprise and then give all of that enterprise to his son when he retires, and during the time until he retires through that enterprise benefit others who are not party to the agreement and effect no violation or change in that agreement; so the New Covenant between God and a future generation of Israel is not violated because the Means by which that covenant will be fulfilled, the substitutionary atonement of the Servant of the LORD, Jesus Christ, is not only for the parties of that covenant, but for all of mankind. Those who are not party to the New Covenant who trust in Jesus Christ for eternal life will receive eternal life and benefits in accordance with the appropriate passages in Scripture for their timeframe and group of people - all by virtue of the Means by which the New Covenant is fulfilled: Jesus Christ Himself, without effecting a violation or change in that Covenant.

God promised to make a covenant with a future generation of Israel to give them a particular and precisely stipulated inheritance at a certain future time. So far in history God has benefitted innumerable others that will not be party to that future covenant by the Means by which that future covenant was ratified and thus enabled to be fulfilled when the time comes - by the shed blood of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ's substitutionary atonement for the sins of all mankind.]

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(Heb 8:13 NKJV) In that He says, 'A New Covenant,' He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away."

¤ In Hebrews chapter 7 it indicated that the Mediator of the future New Covenant, is a Priest forever according to the likeness - the order - of Melchizedek, Jesus Christ, Who has become the guarantee of that better covenant - a future covenant with a future generation of Israel, Who has been presently benefitting believers in the Church Age as well - who are not parties to that covenant.

So then in Hebrews 8:6-7, the author provided further explanation of this "New Covenant" as a "better covenant." He noted that this "better covenant" is founded upon better promises, (Heb 8:6). He also observed that the first covenant of the Law was flawed, or else there would have been no need for a second covenant to take its place. In verses 8-12, the author left no doubt as to which covenant he had in mind through his quotation of Jeremiah 31:31-34: the New Covenant with a future generation of Israel.

Then in Hebrews 8:13, the author continues to contrast the "New Covenant" with the previous obsolete and flawed old covenant which "is becoming obsolete and growing old [and] is ready to vanish away."

II) HEBREWS CHAPTER 9

(Heb 9:1 NASB) "Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary."

[Biblestudymanuals On Heb 9:1]:

The author of Hebrews states in Heb 9:1 that even the first covenant, the Mosaic Law, had regulations of divine worship, i.e., of how to worship God. And he wrote of the earthly sanctuary under the Mosaic Law which was built with human hands; as opposed to the heavenly sanctuary. Evidently, the earthly sanctuary which began with the Tabernacle, the Tent had its limitations; not the least of which was the inability for the people of Israel and all mankind to properly worship God. Furthermore, the old one, the writer points out, had been set up with a full set of regulations for worship and the like. The method of worship was not left haphazard but was divinely prescribed - evidently instructions given to Moses by God. The old way must be seen as originating in the divine initiative. Then the new is its fulfillment, not its contradiction.

The old way not only had regulations but also a sanctuary described as "earthly" (kosmikon). The meaning is not that the sanctuary is worldly in the bad sense but simply that it belonged to this world in contrast to the heavenly sanctuary where Jesus ministers (v. 11). The first covenant, then, was established with its due regulations for worship and its holy place of this earth where worship could be carried on. The author will go on to stress the "earthly" nature of it all]

[(Heb 9:1) EXPOSITOR'S On Heb 9:1]:

"1 The writer has no noun with his adjective "first," but NIV is almost certainly correct in inserting "covenant." Buchanan argues on grammatical grounds that we should read "the first Tent" (in loc.). Few, however, have followed him. The thrust of the argument at this point is to contrast the old and the new covenants. It is true that this involves the "Tent," but it means much more. The author is contrasting two whole ways of approach to God. Some press the past tense "had" as though it means that the temple had been destroyed. Yet this is illegitimate. The writer is not talking about the temple but about the old covenant that has been superseded now that Jesus has established the new one. But the old one, the writer points out, had been set up with a full set of regulations for worship and the like. The method of worship was not left haphazard but was divinely prescribed. The old way must be seen as originating in the divine initiative. Then the new is its fulfillment, not its contradiction.

The old way not only had regulations but also a sanctuary described as "earthly" (kosmikon). The adjective is unusual and in its only other NT occurrence signifies "worldly" (Titus 2:12). NIV is certainly correct here. The meaning is not that the sanctuary is worldly in the bad sense but simply that it belonged to this world in contrast to the heavenly sanctuary where Jesus ministers (v. 11). The first covenant, then, was established with its due regulations for worship and its holy place of this earth where worship could be carried on. The author will go on to stress the "earthly" nature of it all."

(Heb 9:2 NASB) "For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place."

[Biblestudymanuals On Heb 9:2]:

From BibleRef.com Hebrews 9

"So the author of the book of Hebrews begins [in Heb 9:2 which reads as follows:

(Heb 9:2 NASB) "For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place."]

[This verse is] describing the earthly tabernacle which God described to Moses to prepare, i.e., to build. The outer tabernacle and the table and the sacred bread comprise the outer tabernacle which is called the holy place.

A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread, this was called the Holy Place the writer of Hebrews lays out the elements of the old covenant's tabernacle / temple and sacrifices.The purpose here has two layers. One is to explain how these components are symbolic of aspects of the new covenant,

[Compare Heb 9:23-24 NASB]:

(23) "Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

(24) For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; "

The other is to imply that these elements are inherently limited and flawed:

[Compare Heb 8:13 NASB]:

'''When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear." '''

The intent here is clearly on the symbolism of these various objects not their exact arrangement or placement

[Especially relative to Heb 9:5 which reads as follows in the NASB: "and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail," note that] the writer's familiarity with the tabernacle / temple components is one reason many scholars believe that the author was himself Jewish...

The tent referred to here is the tabernacle which God instructed the people of Israel to construct after the exodus from Egypt. The description in this verse is of the inner area of this movable 'temple'; the first division of this section is called the "Holy Place," and was where priests were for their daily duties (Nu 28:1-8).

(Heb 9:2 NASB, cont.) "For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place."]

3 Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,

Behind an additional curtain, within this room, was another, smaller room, the "Most Holy Place," which was reserved for a single ritual each year, performed only by the high priest,
(Lev 16:11-19).

Verse Context

Hebrews 9:1-10 explain how the rooms and artifacts of the tabernacle / temple were only meant as symbols. In fact those items were specifically intended to show how the old covenant could not remove the barrier between God and man. The use of external rituals can only assuage feelings of guilt. It cannot actually remove sin or change a person's nature. The existence of the curtains separating men from the holy places is also symbolic of how the old covenant leaves us apart from God. This sets up a comparison in the following passage showing how Christ's sacrifice fulfills those symbols and achieves a perfection of our relationship with God.

Chapter Context

Hebrews chapter 9 explains how the old covenant included various physical locations and physical rituals. These, according to the writer of Hebrews, were always intended as symbols. Their details, and the drawbacks which they suffered from, were meant to point towards the 'true' means of our redemption, which is Christ. Unlike animal sacrifices, which must be repeated, and which cannot change man on the inside, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is a once for all, permanent and completely effective solution to sin. The fact that Christ died for sin only once also means that His next arrival in the future will not be as a sacrifice, but as the final fulfillment of God's plan.

(Heb 9:2 NASB) "For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place.

(Heb 9:3 NASB) Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,"

[Biblestudymanuals on Heb 9:2-3]:

So in Heb 9:2-3 which read, "For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place. Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,"

The lampstand was a golden oil lamp with seven flames (Ex 25:31-40). The table, known as the table of showbread, was where twelve loaves of bread were kept. Each Sabbath, these twelve loaves would be removed for new ones, and the old were eaten by the priests, (Ex 25:23-30; Lev 24:5-9); and behind an additional curtain - the second veil - within this room of the tabernacle, was another, smaller room which is called the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy Place, which was reserved for a single ritual each year, performed only by the high priest, (Lev 16:11-19).

[(Heb 9:2) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 9:2]:

(Heb 9:2 NASB) "For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place.

"2 NIV uses the traditional term "tabernacle," no doubt to remind readers of the wilderness sanctuary of the Israelites of old. But the word is the ordinary word for "tent" and it is thus translated elsewhere (e.g., NEB, JB, TEV). Usually it is described as a tent with two compartments. Here, however, the writer speaks instead of two tents (there is nothing in the Gr. to correspond to NIV's "room"; that "tent" is to be supplied with "first" is clear from the specific use of this word in v. 3, where NIV has translated skene by "room").

The term rendered "was set up" (kateskeuasthe) is not the usual word for the pitching of a tent but has rather the meaning of "prepare." It may be used not only of the erection of a building but also of its furnishings and equipment. This is in mind here as is shown by the list of furnishings that follows. In the first tent there was "the lampstand," i.e., the seven-branched lampstand (Exod 25:31ff.; 37:17ff.; Solomon's temple had ten lampstands [1 Kings 7:49], but our author is referring to the tabernacle, not the temple).

"The table and the consecrated bread" is a hendiadys for "the table of the consecrated bread." There were twelve loaves, each baked from two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, arranged in two rows of six, pure frankincense being put with each row. Every Sabbath day Aaron was bidden to set them up, and it was prescribed that they were to be eaten only by the priests (Lev 24:5-9). Scripture does indeed record an exceptional occasion when they were eaten by David and his men (1Sam 21:1-6), and Jesus referred to the incident (Mark 2:25-26). The loaves were called "the continual bread" (Num 4:7), a name that brings out the fact that there were always to be such loaves in the Holy Place. They were put on a table specially constructed for the purpose (Exod 25:23-30; 37:10-16). The tent in which these objects were placed was called "the Holy Place.

[Heb 9:1-5]:

(Heb 9:1 NASB) "Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary.

(Heb 9:2 NASB) For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place.

(Heb 9:3 NASB) Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,

(Heb 9:4 NASB) having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron's rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant;

(Heb 9:5 NASB) and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail."

[Biblestudymanuals On Heb 9:1-5]:

Note that the existence of the tabernacle built by Moses on earth at the direction of God; and the particulars / details / effectiveness of that tabernacle in order to fulfill the first covenant - the Law of Moses in order to benefit God's chosen people Israel with temporal blessings, temporal and eternal forgiveness of sins unto eternal life - all of this was not fully known about during the first century - there were and continue to be many conflicting accounts on these matters when the Book of Hebrews was written and thereafter - especially that the tabernacle, the many times it was utillized and in changing manners / ways, etc, etc, were all ineffective in resulting in faithfulness by God's chosen people and/or salvation unto eternal life. Hence Heb 9:5 writes, "but of these things we cannot now [first century and even up to our present day] speak in detail. So to digress into detailed commentary on the particulars of the existence and use of Tabernacle and the Temple are of little value since the purpose of all of this was not effective largely because of the unfaithfulness of God's chosen people and their priests is of little value.

[(Heb 9:3-5) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 9:3-5]:

(Heb 9:3 NASB) "Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,

(Heb 9:5 NASB) and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail."

"3 The "second curtain" is that which screened off the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place (Exod 26:31-33; 36:35-36; Lev 24:3). It is called the "second" to distinguish it from the curtain between the outer court and the Holy Place (Exod 26:36-37; 36:37-38). Behind this curtain was a tent (skene) called the "Most Holy Place" (Hagia Hagion). This was the very special place where God dwelt between the cherubim; and, as the author will presently emphasize, it was never to be entered by anyone other than the high priest, and by him only on the Day of Atonement.

4 The author says some things about the furnishings of the Most Holy Place. There are problems about the expression translated "the golden altar of incense." The word thymiaterion denotes something connected with the burning of incense (thymiama), and in the LXX it is always used of a censer. Some (e.g., KJV, RV, Snell) favor this meaning here. But the word is also used by Symmachus, Theodotion, and others of the altar on which incense was offered (Exod 30:1-10); and most agree that this is the meaning here. There seems no reason for referring to the censer and much reason for referring to the far more significant altar.
A further problem arises from the fact that the author appears to locate this altar inside the Most Holy Place, though its place was really "in front of the curtain" (Exod 30:6). Indeed, it had to be outside the Most Holy Place, for it was in daily use (Exod 30:7-8). Some have thought that this altar was in the Most Holy Place (2 Baruch 6:7). But it seems more likely that the author has in mind the intimate connection of the incense altar with the Most Holy Place. So it "belonged to the inner sanctuary" (1 Kings 6:22), as is shown by its situation "in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the testimony—before the atonement cover [mercy seat] that is over the Testimony" (Exod 30:6).

On the Day of Atonement, the high priest was to offer incense, using coals of fire from this altar (Lev 16:12-13). Notice the warning "so that he will not die" (Lev 16:13). The incense was indeed important. We should also notice that the writer does not say that his altar was "in" the Most Holy Place but only that that Place "had" it. It is true that the same verb covers the ark that was undoubtedly inside the veil, but the indefinite term may be significant. Montefiore comments, "In any case our author does not actually commit himself to the view that the altar of incense is situated in the sanctuary: he merely says that it belonged to the sanctuary" (in loc.).

There is no question that the "gold-covered ark of the covenant" was in the Most Holy Place (Exod 25:10ff.; 26:33; 40:21). That is to say, it was there in the time of the tabernacle. It was placed in the Most Holy Place in the temple of Solomon (1 Kings 8:6); but evidently it was taken out for some reason, and the last time it appears is when Josiah told the priests to put it into the temple (2 Chronicles 35:3). According to the rabbis, the ark disappeared at the time of the early prophets (Mishnah, Yoma 5:2; Shekalim 6:1f.); and there was a tradition that Jeremiah hid it (2Macc 2:4ff.).

The author goes on to inform us that the ark contained "the golden jar of manna" (cf. Exod 16:33-34). MT does not say what the jar was made of, but LXX says it was golden. Aaron's rod that had budded was also there (Num 17:1-11). Neither of these is said in the OT to be "in" the ark; rather, they were "in front of" it (Exod 16:34; Num 17:10). We are told in 1 Kings 8:9 that in Solomon's temple there was nothing in the ark but the tables of stone. But the author is not concerned with the temple. He is writing about the tabernacle, and it is possible that a different arrangement held there; though, if that was so, we have no information about it. Also in the ark were "the stone tablets of the covenant" (cf. Exod 25:16; 31:18; Deut 9:9ff.; 10:3ff.). They represented the permanent record of the terms of the old covenant and were kept in the most sacred place.

5 Above the ark were "the cherubim of the Glory." The exact form of these is not known, but most interpreters hold that they had bodies of animals. They were certainly winged (Exod 25:18-20; 37:7-9). Moreover, they were especially associated with the presence of God (Ps 80:1; 99:1), which is why they are here called the cherubim "of the Glory" (NEB, "of God's glory"; others, however, prefer the sense "the glorious cherubs," JB). They overshadowed the lid of the ark, which is here called "the place of atonement." The justification for this translation is that on the Day of Atonement this object was sprinkled with the blood of the sin offering whereby sins were atoned. The word is from the word group meaning "propitiate," and it may be that there is a recognition that it was the place where God's wrath against sin was put away. But as our author is taking the term from the LXX, we cannot press the point. As with the other articles mentioned, details of its construction are given in the account of the tabernacle (Exod 25:17ff.; 37:6ff.). Doubtless the writer would have been glad to dwell on the significance of all these objects. He points out, however, that it is not the time for him to do this. His argument proceeds on other lines."

[(Heb 9:1-5) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Heb 9:1-5]:

(Heb 9:1 NASB) "Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary.

(Heb 9:2 NASB) For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place.

(Heb 9:3 NASB) Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,

(Heb 9:5 NASB) and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail."

"9:1-5. With regard to the "aging" First Covenant, the writer wished to discuss that covenant's regulations for worship and its earthly sanctuary. These he highlighted in order to contrast them with the superior features of the New-Covenant ministry. How "earthly" (kosmikon, v. 1), or mundane, that first sanctuary was, he emphasized by reviewing the material objects associated with it. All these had typological value, but the author could not discuss these things in detail at the time (v. 5). He confined himself to the chief features of the comparison he wished to make."

(Heb 9:6 NASB) "Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship,

(Heb 9:7 NASB) but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

(Heb 9:8 NASB) The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,

(Heb 9:9 NASB) which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,

(Heb 9:10 NASB) since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation."

[(Heb 9:6-10) Biblestudymanuals On Heb 9:6-10]:

(Heb 9:6 NASB) "Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship,

(Heb 9:7 NASB) but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

(Heb 9:8 NASB) The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,

(Heb 9:9 NASB) which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,

(Heb 9:10 NASB) since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation."

In Heb 9:1-5, it can be observed that the existence of the tabernacle built by Moses on earth at the direction of God; and the particulars / details / effectiveness of that tabernacle in order to fulfill the first covenant - the Law of Moses - in order to benefit God's chosen people Israel with temporal blessings, temporal and eternal forgiveness of sins unto eternal life - all of this was not fully known about during the first century - there were and continue to be many conflicting accounts on these matters when the Book of Hebrews was written and thereafter - especially that the tabernacle and the Temple, the many times they were utillized and in changing manners / ways, etc, etc, were all ineffective in resulting in faithfulness by God's chosen people and/or salvation unto eternal life. Hence Heb 9:5 writes, "but of these things we cannot now [first century and even up to our present day] speak in detail. So to digress into detailed commentary on the particulars of the existence and use of Tabernacle and the Temple are of little value since the purpose of all of this was not effective largely because of the unfaithfulness of God's chosen people and their priests which is of little value.

So to digress as Heb 9:6-10 does presents a case of the ineffectiveness of the ancient tabernacle as follows:

(Heb 9:6 NASB) "Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship,

(Heb 9:7 NASB) but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

(Heb 9:8 NASB) The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,

(Heb 9:9 NASB) which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,

(Heb 9:10 NASB) since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation,"

So in view of the failure of the Tabernacle and the use of it by the priests performing the divine worship to accomplish the intended results of Israel's faithfulness to God Whom the more often than not failed to worship God is a message of futility; bringing home the inferiority of the whole Levitical system.

Here is what Bible Knowledge Commentary concludes on these issues:

'''9:6-10. The "regulations for worship" mentioned in verse 1 were now dealt with so that they underlined the insufficiency of the Old-Covenant service. Whereas the outer room of the tabernacle could be entered regularly by the officiating priests, it was only on the Day of Atonement (cf. Lev. 16) that the high priest entered the inner room (i.e., the "holy of holies") and then only with sacrificial blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. This restricted access clearly demonstrated that a true entrance into God's presence (symbolized by the most holy place) had not yet been disclosed. That at least was the message the Holy Spirit intended to communicate by this arrangement. The Levitical arrangements were designed to convey the idea that the true way to God did not lie in them. What this indicates for the present time is that the Old-Covenant sacrificial system did not meet human need at its deepest level. It could not clear the conscience of the worshiper. Hence the regulations which formed part of the observant worshiper's adherence to this system were chiefly concerned with externals which were only meant to apply until the time of the new order.

The words of Hebrews 9:10 probably refer to sectarians for whom food laws and ceremonial washings retained great importance. The readers must remember the transitory nature of these things under the "aging" covenant and should not return to them." '''

[(Heb 9:6-10) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 9:6-10]:

(Heb 9:6 NASB) "Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship,"

"6 From the sanctuary the author moves to the ritual. He is particularly interested in what was done on the Day of Atonement, and he uses the limitations attached to the high priest's entry into the Most Holy Place to bring home the inferiority of the whole Levitical system. But he begins with the ministry of the lower priests. When the tabernacle system was established, the priests did their work in "the first tent" ("outer room," NIV). This included such things as burning incense (Exod 30:7-8), setting out the holy loaves (Lev 24:8-9), and trimming the lamps (Exod 27:20-21; Lev 24:3-4). There was a sharp distinction between the duties and place of service of the priests and those of the Levites (Num 18:1-7).

(Heb 9:7 NASB) "but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance."

'''7 "But" (de) marks the contrast. We move from the priests to the high priest and from ministry in the Holy Place to that in the Most Holy Place. Into "the inner room" (i.e., "second tent," v. 3) only the high priest might go and then "only once a year." The reference is to the ceremonies of the Day of Atonement (Lev 16). We should understand "once" to mean "on one day," because the high priest made more than one entrance into the room beyond the curtain. He certainly went in twice (Lev 16:12, 15), and a third entrance may be meant for the sprinkling of the blood of the bull (Lev 16:14). The rabbis thought there were four entrances of the high priest into the Most Holy Place, the three just mentioned and a final one to retrieve the ladle and the fire pan he had left there when he offered the incense (M Yoma 5:1, 3, 4; 7:4).
To go into the Most Holy Place was dangerous; so the high priest had to safeguard himself by offering blood in the prescribed manner. The rabbis were conscious of the danger and spoke of the high priest as praying when he came out the first time, "but he did not prolong his prayer lest he put Israel in terror" (Yoma 5:1). They also said that when he emerged safely from the hazards of the Day, he made a feast for his friends (Yoma 7:4). His offering was "for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance." Being a sinner himself, he had to atone for himself before he could minister on behalf of others. The sins "committed in ignorance" point to the truth that there is ignorance that is culpable. Sins of this kind do matter, and we should be on our guard against minimizing their seriousness. In Ecclesiasticus 23:2 the son of Sirach asks not to be spared discipline for these sins of ignorance (he uses the same word that appears here), lest they multiply and bring him low.

(Heb 9:8 NASB) "The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,"

"8 The author sees the Holy Spirit as using the pattern of the tabernacle to teach important truths. The limited access into the Most Holy Place was meant to bring home the fact that ordinary men had no direct access to the presence of God. NIV is almost certainly correct in its translation, the way into the Most Holy Place. Yet we should notice that hagion, which is usually taken as neuter ("holy things" and thus "the Holy Place") might be masculine. In that case the meaning would be "the way for the saints." Now while we should probably not accept this translation, it does point us to the fact that it is the saints who are to travel the way. This was not revealed while "the first tabernacle was still standing." Some take "the first tabernacle" to mean the Holy Place (as in v. 6), but this yields a difficult sense. It seems much more likely that the writer means the whole tabernacle ("the way into the Most Holy Place was not disclosed while the Holy Place still stood" would be strange). The final words do not bear on the problem of whether the temple was still standing. The author is saying that people get direct access to God through the finished work of Christ and that before that work was accomplished there was no such access.

(Heb 9:9 NASB) "which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,"

'''9 "This is an illustration" ("All this is symbolic," NEB). But the precise application of the symbolism is not quite clear. Bruce (in loc.) points out that "the present time" might mean "the time then present" (i.e., in OT days the way to God was not yet revealed) or "the time now present" (i.e., "the real meaning of the tabernacle can only now be understood, in the light of the work of Christ"). In either case the writer is contrasting the limited access that was all that could be obtained in OT days with the free access to the presence of God that Christ has made possible for his people. The trouble with the sacrificial offerings of the old covenant was that they could not "clear the conscience of the worshiper." The reference to conscience is significant. The ordinances of the old covenant had been external. They had not been able to come to grips with the real problem, that of the troubled conscience. This does not mean, of course, that no OT saint ever had a clear conscience, but he did not obtain it by the sacrifices as such.'''

(Heb 9:10 NASB) "since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation."

10 The externality of the old way is brought out from another viewpoint. It concerned only matters like "food and drink and various ceremonial washings." There is no problem about the mention of food, for there were some strict food laws (Lev 11). But drink is not so prominent. Priests were to abstain from alcoholic drinks while engaged in their ministry (Lev 10:8-9) and there were limitations on the Nazarites (Num 6:2-3). No one was allowed to drink from an unclean vessel, one into which a dead animal had fallen (Lev 11:33f.). And, of course, there were libations accompanying some of the sacrifices (e.g., Num 6:15, 17, 28:7f.). There were several ceremonial illustrations in the OT, such as those performed by the priests in their ministry (Exod 30:20), and a variety of washings for defiled people (Lev 15:3-27; 17:15-16; Num 19:7-13). All such things the author dismisses as "external regulations." They have their place, but only "until the time of the new order." Though he does not explain this, the drift of his argument shows that he has in mind the new covenant Christ brought. It replaced all the merely external regulations of the old way."

[(Heb 9:6-10) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Heb 9:6-10]:

(Heb 9:6 NASB) "Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship,

(Heb 9:7 NASB) but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

(Heb 9:8 NASB) The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,

(Heb 9:9 NASB) which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,

(Heb 9:10 NASB) since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.

(Heb 9:11 NASB) "But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;

(Heb 9:12 NASB) and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption."

[(Heb 9:11-12) Biblestudymanuals on Heb 9:11-12]:

(Heb 9:11 NASB) "when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;

(Heb 9:12 NASB) and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption."

Heb 9:6-10, which read as follows,

(Heb 9:6 NASB) "Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship,

(Heb 9:7 NASB) but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

(Heb 9:8 NASB) The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,

(Heb 9:9 NASB) which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,

(Heb 9:10 NASB) since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation,"

speak of the inadequacy of the man made tabernacle:

The "regulations for worship" mentioned in verse 1 were now dealt with so that they underlined the insufficiency of the Old-Covenant service. Whereas the outer room of the tabernacle could be entered regularly by the officiating priests, it was only on the Day of Atonement (cf. Lev. 16) that the high priest entered the inner room (i.e., the "holy of holies") and then only with sacrificial blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. This restricted access clearly demonstrated that a true entrance into God's presence (symbolized by the most holy place) had not yet been disclosed. That at least was the message the Holy Spirit intended to communicate by this arrangement. The Levitical arrangements were designed to convey the idea that the true way to God did not lie in them. What this indicates for the present time is that the Old-Covenant sacrificial system did not meet human need at its deepest level. It could not clear the conscience of the worshiper. Hence the regulations which formed part of the observant worshiper's adherence to this system were chiefly concerned with externals which were only meant to apply until the time of the new order, which is now touched upon beginning with Heb 9:11-12 as follows:

(Heb 9:12 NASB) and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

(Heb 9:13 NASB) For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,

(Heb 9:14 NASB) how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

(Heb 9:15 NASB) For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

(Heb 9:16 NASB) For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it."

Hebrews chapter 9 indicates that because of Christ's high priesthood - His substitutionary atonement - His cleansing of sins through His blood to obtain eternal redemption and an eternal inheritance for all mankind, which priesthood satisfies God's future covenant with a future generation of Israel, believers of the Church Age benefit in their own ways as stipulated in the chapter and elsewhere in Scripture:

(Heb 9:11 NASB) "But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things [having come], He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;"

¤ [WH NU have "the good things having come" from P46, B, D*, 1739, syr(ph).

TR has "the good things about to come" from sinaiticus, A, D2, Ivid, 0278, 33, Maj.

The Greek phrase in the Textus Receptus rendered "the good things about to come" is probably a scribal emendation, evidently influenced by Heb 10:1. It misses the point of the passage: the benefits of Christ's priesthood are not stored away for the future. His priesthood provides benefits that believers experience in the present age as a result of Christ's blood which was shed not only to fulfill the future New Covenant with a future generation of Israel, but for all mankind - each individual in accordance with God's own plan and sovereignty, which varies from individual to individual, age to age. He Himself provides the means to access God both now and forever. All modern versions, except NASB and NJV follow the better reading.

So Hebrews 9:11 speaks of the "good things having come" in the sense of being present in the lives and minds of believers in Jesus Christ today. This includes eternal redemption, (9:12), and the sure hope of the promise of an eternal inheritance, (9:15). These "good things" came as a result of the death / the substitutionary atonement of the Mediator of the New Covenant, Jesus Christ Himself for all mankind, (Heb 9:12-15). Present day benefits from Christ's priesthood ministry for believers of this age are stipulated throughout the Book of Hebrews and the other epistles, many of which vary from the description of benefits received by a future generation of Israelites when the New Covenant will be fulfilled as a result of Christ's substitutionary atonement in His blood, (Heb 8:8-12; cf. Jer 31:31-34 ).

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(Heb 9:12 NASB) "and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

(Heb 9:13 NASB) For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,

(Heb 9:14 NASB) how much more will the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

[Biblestudymanuals on Heb 9:12-14]:

¤ In Heb 9:12 it indicates that the sacrifices of the old Mosaic Law covenant were ineffectual for eternal redemption - for receiving forgiveness unto eternal life. But Jesus Christ made an offering of Himself that secured a redemption which is valid for all eternity for all of mankind who choose to believe in Him for that, (cf. Heb 4:2; 6:1, 12). He had won for His people and for all of mankind an effective salvation which is not dependent in any way upon earthly sacrifices or human doing such as the Old Covenant of the Law of Moses.

What Christ did on the cross was final and forever, and for all mankind. It needs no supplement, renewal or human doing to maintain. The phrase in Heb 9:12 rendered, "Once for all" is an emphatic expression underlining the decisive character of Christ's saving work for all mankind. There is no need for repetition. And "Redemption" is the process of setting one free by the payment of a ransom price, in this case being set free from the eternal consequences of sin by the death of Jesus, i.e., by His substitutionary atonement; and this through a moment of faith alone in Christ, (ref. Heb 4:2; 6:1, 12).

[(Heb 9:11-12) Compare Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 9:11-12]:

(Heb 9:12 NASB) and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption."

"11-12 The MSS are divided as to whether we should read "the good things that are already here" or "the good things that are to come." The resolution of the point is not easy. On the whole it seems that NIV is correct in preferring the former. Scribes would be tempted to alter the past into the future, but scarcely the reverse. All the more would they do this in view of the similar expression in 10:1 and the frequency of the verb (mello) that expresses the future in this epistle. The author does not explain what the "good things" are, but the expression is evidently a comprehensive way of summing up the blessings Christ has won for his people. The past tense points us to the Cross and all it means. At the same time, we should bear in mind Hering's point that the aorist is probably ingressive and means "The good things have begun to come into existence." There is more to come than we now see. Because the new covenant has been established, the past tense is fitting. Yet the full realization of what this means is yet to come.
There is another difficult problem in the meaning of the "greater and more perfect tabernacle" (v. 11) and with it the meaning of "through" (dia), which relates to this tabernacle. Also, in the same Greek sentence (v. 12) dia relates negatively to the blood of animals and positively to the blood of Christ. Many commentators see a reference to heaven in "a greater and more perfect tabernacle"; and still others think of Christ's flesh, his glorified body, or his people (cf. 3:6). Some suggestions seem negated by the words "not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation" (v. 11). Perhaps we should take notice of the similar expression in v. 24, where the author is saving that it was by means of the heavenly sanctuary, and by means of his own blood (not that of animals), that Christ entered the holiest of all, into the presence of God. This is an emphatic way of saying that he has won for his people an effective salvation and that this has nothing to do with earthly sacrifices.

Some translations import the idea of Christ as taking his blood into heaven, e.g., RSV, "taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood" (similar are TEV, JB). This is quite unwarranted. The Greek does not say this. The translation is objectionable because it implies that Christ's atoning work was not completed on the cross but that he still had to do some atoning act in heaven like the earthly high priest who took the blood into the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement. In this epistle, what Christ did on the cross was final. It needs no supplement. There may be another glance at the Day of Atonement ceremonies in the listing of "goats and calves," for these were the animals used on that day. "Once for all" (ephapax) is an emphatic expression underlining the decisive character of Christ's saving work. There can be no repetition. "Redemption" (Iytrosis) is the process of setting free by the payment of a ransom price, in this case the death of Jesus."

[Biblestudymanuals on Heb 9:12-14, cont.]:

¤ In Heb 9:13 the author turns again to the Levitical sacrifices of the Old Covenant of the Law of Moses. In the Law is found the availability of an external and temporal purification from sin through ritual and ceremony, not an intrinsic and eternal one through faith alone as is available through the sacrificial blood of Christ unto eternal redemption. The Levitical system was effective within its limits , but those limits were concerned with what is outward and temporal, not eternal. And those rituals / ceremonies had to be repeated constantly.

Then in Heb 9:14 "How much more will the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" stresses the incomparable greatness of Christ and His sacrificial work for all mankind. "The blood of Christ" means Christ's death regarded as a sacrifice for sin according to the ongoing context from the beginning of the Book of Hebrews and now through vv. 9:12-14. Although blood can be symbolic of physical life, it is not an allusion to life in the context of this passage, as some contend. For the context is fully established that Christ offered himself in sacrifice to God for the sins of all mankind through the shedding of His blood. The Hebrew word rendered, "Unblemished" is the adjective used to describe animals approved for sacrifice, animals without defect of any kind under proper observation of the covenant of the Mosaic Law. It was meant also to be a picture of Christ's sinless perfection in His once for all sacrifice, of which the animal sacrifices were only a picture, not the reality.

Heb 9:14, which is rendered, "How much more will the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" makes the point that the "eternal Spirit" has empowered Christ in His sacrificial work. The phrase rendered "the eternal Spirit" is another name for the Holy Spirit (cf. NIV, KJV, RSV, JB, et al.).

i) [Compare Isa 42:1, 6 ]:

(Isa 42:1 NASB) "Behold, My Servant, Whom I uphold; My chosen One in Whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.

(Isa 42:6 NASB) I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations.

Passages in Isaiah chapters 42 , 49 , 50 and 52-53 , et. al., have the "Servant of the Lord" Who is Christ as accomplishing the ratification of the New Covenant through His substitutionary atonement for the sins of all mankind to provide for the availability of redemption and salvation for a future generation of Israel and all of mankind through faith throughout the ages in the power of the Holy Spirit, the eternal Spirit.

While Christ's human spirit is involved in His own sacrifice, the Spirit of God is involved, as well. It seems that the writer has chosen this unusual way of referring to the Holy Spirit to bring out the truth that there is an eternal and divine aspect to Christ's saving work.

So Christ, then, offered Himself without blemish in a substitutionary atoning sacrifice for all mankind, the aim being to "cleanse our consciences from dead works," affording not only God's gracious salvation of a future generation of Israel, but the salvation of all of mankind throughout the ages from the beginning - through faith. It is important to be clear that Christ's saving work operates on quite a different level from that of the Levitical sacrifices. The latter sacrifices were temporal and external. But Christ's work of redemption was concerned with erasing the effect of all sins upon mankind once and forever. Sins when they are committed become part of the conscience within a man, leaving him with the knowledge of his accountability before God which leads to eternal condemnation. So Christ's sacrifice was for the cleansing of the conscience of one as a result of Christ Himself paying for the penalty of ones eternal condemnation - something that the sacrifices under the law or any human doing could never do (cf. Heb 10:2). Note that the NIV renders Heb 9:14b "cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death," but the Greek text literally reads "cleanse our [other mss have "your"] consciences from dead works," in the sense of the cleansing of the consequences from God of sinful acts committed that are placed upon the consciences of individuals, thus providing for forgiveness of sinful acts to those who have believed in Christ for salvation. Ones conscience can only be cleansed through faith in Christ's substitutionary atonement and not through dead works such as the Old-Covenant rituals which did not have that purpose in the first place . Once ones conscience is cleansed via faith in Christ's sacrifice, one is then enabled to serve the living God instead of suffering eternal condemnation]

[(Heb 9:13-14) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 9:13-14]:

(Heb 9:13 NASB) For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,

(Heb 9:14 NASB) how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

"13 The author turns again to the Levitical sacrifices. In them he finds the power to effect an external purification, a cleansing from ritual defilement. He refers to the blood "of goats and bulls," which means much the same as that of "goats and calves" in v. 12 (the calf now being seen as a young adult). "The ashes of a heifer" point to the ceremony for purification described in Numbers 19:1-10. A red heifer was killed, the carcass was burned (together with "cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool"), and the ashes used "in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin." When anyone was ceremonially unclean because of contact with a dead body or even by entering a tent where a dead body lay (Num 19:14), he was made clean by the use of these ashes. The verb "sanctify" is often used of the moral and spiritual process of "sanctification." Here, however, a ritual matter is plainly in mind. The Levitical system is not dismissed as useless. It had its values and was effective within its limits. But those limits were concerned with what is outward.

14 The "how much more" argument stresses the incomparable greatness of Christ and his work for us. "The blood of Christ" means Christ's death regarded as a sacrifice for sin. Though some have suggested that we should see in references to "the blood" allusions to life rather than death, this does not seem soundly based. The word "blood" points to death (see my Apostolic Preaching of the Cross, 3rd ed. [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965], ch. 3). In this context "blood" is not death in general but death seen as a sacrifice. Christ offered himself in sacrifice to God. "Unblemished" (amomos) is the word used technically of animals approved for sacrifice, animals without defect of any kind. The idea of Christ as an offering to God is not popular these days and can, of course, be stated in a crude and totally unacceptable way. But we must never forget that atonement must be seen in the light of God's demand for uprightness in a world where people sin constantly. No view of atonement can be satisfactory that does not regard the divine demand.

There is a problem in the way we should understand "the eternal Spirit." Spelled with capital "S," it appears to be another name for the Holy Spirit (cf. NIV, KJV, RSV, JB, et al.). But the Holy Spirit is not elsewhere referred to in this way. Thus many commentators, feeling that such a reference would be out of place here, prefer to see the "spirit" as Christ's own spirit. For example, Snell sees the words as possibly "a rather odd way of saying that he put his whole human self into it," but he prefers the meaning "by virtue of his own Personal nature as being Spirit" (in loc.). Probably most modern commentators take the words in some such way. Bruce (in loc.), however, points out that we ought to see the "Servant of the Lord" imagery behind this whole passage and he reminds us that the Servant is introduced in Isaiah with "I will put my Spirit on him" (Isa 42:1). Just as the prophet sees the Servant as accomplishing his entire ministry in the power of the divine Spirit, so we should see Christ as winning men's salvation by a mighty act performed in the power of the Spirit of God.

Yet, despite the modern disinclination to see a Trinitarian reference here, it does seem as though something of the kind is needed if we are to do justice to the writer's thought. While Christ's own spirit is involved in his sacrifice, the divine Spirit is involved, too. It seems that the writer has chosen this unusual way of referring to the Holy Spirit to bring out the truth that there is an eternal aspect to Christ's saving work.

Christ, then, offered himself in sacrifice, the aim being to "cleanse our consciences." It is important to be clear that Christ's saving work operates on quite a different level from that of the Levitical sacrifices. These were but external and material, as the author repeatedly emphasizes. But Christ was concerned with the sins that trouble the consciences of men. So his sacrifice was directed to the cleansing of conscience, something the sacrifices under the law could never do (10:2). NIV speaks of a cleansing "from acts that lead to death," where the Greek is more literally "from dead works." This might mean "either those which end in death or which are the fruits of death" (Calvin, in loc.). So far from engaging in works of that kind, those purified by Christ "serve the living God" (see comments on 3:12). The Christian way is positive, not negative."

[(Heb 9:13-14) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Heb 9:13-14]:

(Heb 9:13 NASB) "For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,

(Heb 9:14 NASB) how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

"9:13-14. This "eternal redemption" through which the blessings of the New Covenant (cf. 8:10-12) have reached all believers, should affect the way believers serve God. Old-Covenant rituals served for the ceremonially unclean and only made them outwardly clean. But the blood of Christ can do much more. His was a sacrifice of infinite value because through the eternal Spirit He offered Himself unblemished to God. With this lovely assertion, the writer of Hebrews involved all three Persons of the Godhead in the sacrifice of Christ, which magnifies the greatness of His redemptive offering. "Unblemished" (amōmon) fittingly describes Christ's perfection (cf. 4:15; 7:26) for it is also used of spotless animals brought for sacrifice.
Such a great accomplishment ought to cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, but the expression "acts that lead to death" is literally "dead works" which in this context seems to refer to the Levitical rituals that, in contrast with the work of Christ, can never impart spiritual life. As also in 6:1, where such "acts that lead to death" are referred to, the writer wished his readers would give up all thoughts of returning to Old-Covenant rituals. Their consciences ought to be perfectly free from any need to engage in such things and, retaining their confidence in the perfect efficacy of the Cross, they should hold fast their profession and serve the living God within the New-Covenant arrangements."

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(Heb 9:15 NASB) "For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

(Heb 9:16 NASB) For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it."

[Biblestudymanuals On Heb 9:15-16]:

¤ In Heb 9:15, the phrase "kai dia touto" rendered "and for this reason" refers back to "the good things having come" and what follows in Heb 9:11-14, not the least of which includes Christ having obtained eternal redemption for all mankind, and the cleansing of ones conscience from dead works to serve the living God through the death of Jesus Christ, the ratification in His blood of His mediatorship of the New Covenant and His payment for the sins of all mankind. Heb 9:15 goes on to add that Christ's death made redemption and an eternal inheritance presently available in this age and all timeframes from the beginning of Creation after the Fall.

Furthermore, the New Covenant in verses 15-16 must be the same New Covenant spoken of in Jeremiah 31 because Heb 8:8-12 actually quote Jer 31:31-34 stipulating the precise terms of that covenant, and Heb 9:15-16 contrasts the New Covenant with the Old Covenant - the Mosaic Law. Thus, Heb 9:11-16 conveys that "the good things" therein referred to are a present reality in the lives of believers. This is so because Christ’s death - His substitutionary atonement for sins in order to make and then fulfill the yet future New Covenant with a future restored Israel in the Promised Land, was also for the benefit of all mankind of all ages, by faith in Him. So His death not only was for the benefit of a future generation of restored Israel under the terms of that covenant for the parties of that agreeement; it was also for the benefit of all mankind from the beginning of creation, (after the Fall), and throughout the ages, who are not party to that Covenant. Therefore, these verses form a strong argument that the church is presently experiencing blessings because of Christ's mediatorship of the New Covenant via His substitutionary atonement for the sins of not just a future generation of Israel but of all mankind - not the least of which is the redemption of the individual's transgressions under their endeavors to keep the old covenant, the Law, (and all their sins), unto an eternal inheritance, i.e., eternal life - by grace through faith alone in Christ's substitutionary atonement for sins alone.

Nevertheless, the benefits for believers of the Church Age in view in the Book of Hebrews received through Christ's priesthood ministry which ratified the New Covenant in His blood - His substitutionary atonement for mankind are similar but not identical to those of the parties of the yet future New Covenant that God will make with and fulfill with a future generation of Israel, (ref. Jer 31:31-34 and Ezek 36:24-27 ).

For example, believers in the Church Age - Jews and Gentiles - have been persecuted and dispersed, (ref Acts 5:4; 8:1; 11:19; Phil 1:12-14; Heb 10:32-36; Gal 1:13), as opposed to a future generation consisting exclusively of Israelites under the New Covenant who will all be gathered from all over the earth to occupy, own and prosper in the land promised to the forefathers of Israel - the Promised Land without any persecution or dispersement.

And according to the Book of Hebrews, those same persecuted Jewish and Gentile believers who have neither matured in the faith, nor lived faithful lives under the benefits of Christ's priesthood ministry are juxtaposed to the future generation of Israelites which will have a full and perfect knowledge and faithfulness to God's Laws as stipulated in God fulfilling His New Covenant with and in them.

Hebrews 9:15 furnishes further evidence that Christ’s mediatorship of the New Covenant, His substitutionary atonement for the whole world is by virtue of including all of mankind an ongoing reality in the church age. But mankind is not experiencing the reality of the fulfillment of the New Covenant itself to which they are not a party; which fulfillment is yet future exclusively with a future generation of Israel who is a party to that covenant.

That there are present benefits to Christ's mediatorship of the New Covenant is suppported by the present tense verb "estin" rendered "He is" in the phrase in Heb 9:15, "He is the mediator of a new covenant" indicate that Christ is presently the Mediator of the future New Covenant in the sense that His substitutionary atonement for the sins of all of mankind has ratified the New Covenant justifying God's future unilateral fulfillment of that covenant exclusively with a future generation of Israel so that it can be justly fulfilled without Israel's participation but by God alone. This is so because Israel - all mankind are unable to fulfill the righteous requirements of that New Covenant's stipulations, not the least of which are sinless perfection and forgiveness of sins.

[(Heb 9:15-16) Expositor's Bible Knowledge Commentary On Heb 9:15-16]:

(Heb 9:16 NASB) For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it."

"15 "For this reason" may refer to the preceding: because Christ really cleanses from dead works by his blood, he mediates the new covenant. But it is also possible that the words look forward: Christ mediates the new covenant so that the called might receive the inheritance. "Those who are called" preserves the divine initiative, as does "promised." Both expressions remind us of the freeness of salvation and of God's will to bless his people. "Inheritance" originally denoted a possession received through the will of someone who died; then it came to denote anything firmly possessed without regard to the way it was obtained. "Eternal" points to the fact that the believer's possession is no transitory affair. The salvation Christ won is forever.

Christ's death is viewed, then, as "a ransom," the price paid to set free a slave or a prisoner or a person under sentence of death. While the idea of redemption is widespread in the ancient world, the actual word used here (and the most common one in the NT) is a rare word—a fact that may point to the conviction that the redemption Christians know is not simply another redemption among many. It is unique. And this redemption avails for those who sinned under the old covenant as well as for those who are embraced in the new covenant. The author insists that the sacrifices offered under the old covenant cannot take away sins. So it is left to Christ to offer the sacrifice that really effects what the old offerings pointed to but could not accomplish.

16 The argument is not easy to follow in English because we have no single word that is the precise equivalent of diatheke. This Greek word denotes something like an authoritative laying down of what is to be done and is the normal word for a last will and testament. But it is also suited to covenants God makes with people. These are not the result of a process of negotiation in which God talks things over with people and they come to a mutually acceptable arrangement. God lays down the terms. The result is a covenant characterized by the same kind of finality as we see in a testament. (One cannot dicker with a testator!) The author moves easily from the idea of covenant to that of testament. It might help us follow him if we render the first clause in v. 15 (with NEB) as "he is the mediator of a new covenant, or testament." This gives two translations for the one Greek word but helps us retain something of the continuity of thought. The death of the testator is necessary for a diatheke (taking the term in the sense "testament") to come into effect. The will may be perfectly valid but it does not operate till death takes place."

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(Heb 9:17 NASB) For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.

(Heb 9:18 NASB) Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood.

(Heb 9:19 NASB) For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,

(Heb 9:20 NASB) saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you."

(Heb 9:21 NASB) And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood.

(Heb 9:22 NASB) And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."

[(Heb 9:17-22) Biblestudymanuals On Heb 9:17-22]:

¤ Hebrews 9 also has much to say regarding the New Covenant’s ratification. According to Hebrews 9:17, for a covenant to be valid and in force it requires the death of the testator. Because Christ as testator has died, then the New Covenant is now ratified and thus enabled to be fulfilled with a future generation of restored Israel when God so chooses. Furthermore, since Christ's death, benefits have been available for the rest of mankind who are not parties to the New Covenant through His substitutionary atonement for all mankind. And even before Christ's death, benefits were made available to the saints who died before the cross to go to Paradise, (Ro 3:25 ).

Heb 9:18-22 indicate that the former Old Covenant of the Law was ratified based on a blood ceremony. In fact, the words "this is the blood of the covenant" that are quoted in verse 20 are taken from Exodus 24:8 and refer to God’s inauguration of the Mosaic Covenant with Israel at Sinai. These words parallel Christ’s words which are quoted in Heb 9:20 from Matthew 26:28 ("this is the blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins"). The writer of Hebrews uses these express and implied references to the Mosaic Covenant and the Upper Room Discourse to show that just as blood ratified the Mosaic Covenant, Christ’s blood ratified the New Covenant in order to justify God's unilateral making and fulfillment of a future New Covenant exclusively with a future generation of Israel which substitutionary atonement included the salvation of all of mankind through faith throughout the ages, past, present and future - which the latter group of people are not party of that New Covenant. Thus, verses 18-22 of Hebrews chapter 9 indicate that benefits have been forthcoming as a result of the forgiveness of sins for all of mankind via the shed blood of Jesus Christ, Who is the Mediator between God and a future Israel via the New Covenant which was ratified in His blood and now awaits fulfillment with that future generation when the time comes in accordance with the sovereignty of God - and the volition of man each of every single individual of that generation of Israel to express a moment of faith alone in Christ alone as He arrives to earth at His Second Coming.

Note that the benefits for believers in view in the Book of Hebrews of the Church Age, (and even from the beginning of Creation after the Fall as well), are not the same as what is stipulated for the parties of the New Covenant in Jer 31:31-34 and Ezek 36:24-27 . For example, believers in the Church Age - Jews and Gentiles - have been presecuted and dispersed as opposed to a future generation consisting exclusively of Israelites having been gathered from all over the earth to occupy, own and prosper in the land promised to the forefathers of Israel - the Promised Land. And according to the Book of Hebrews, those same persecuted believers have also not matured in the doctrines of the faith, nor lived faithful lives as opposed to the future generation of Israelites having a full and perfect knowledge and faithfulness to God's Laws as stipulated in their fulfillment of the New Covenant."

[(Heb 9:17-22) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 9:17-22]:

(Heb 9:17 NASB) For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.

17 The point is emphasized. The author uses a technical legal term to indicate that the will is "in force" only (as Moffatt puts it in loc.) "in cases of death." "It never takes effect" makes use of another legal term. It is only the death of the testator that brings the provisions of a will into force.

(Heb 9:18 NASB) Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood.

18 From this the author reasons to the necessity for Christ's death. It was not, so to speak, an option God happened to prefer. The writer will go on to show from the Law that for sin to be forgiven the rule is that blood must be shed. But first he argues that the necessity for death if a diatheke is to be effective (it is plainly needed in the case of a testament), applies just as much when a covenant is in mind. This kind of diatheke also demands that blood be shed if it is to be "put into effect."

19 When the first covenant was made, Moses did two things. First, he "proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people." That is to say, he set out the terms and conditions of the covenant; he made plain the requirements the covenant laid on the people so they were left in no doubt as to what covenant membership demanded of them. They were now God's people, and that meant they must obey God's laws.

Second, Moses performed certain ritual actions. In what follows the author includes some details not mentioned in Exodus 24. There Moses threw blood on the altar and on the people and read the book to the people. But there is no mention of the water, scarlet wool, hyssop, or the sprinkling of the book. Water and scarlet (whether wool or other material is not said) and hyssop were used in the rite of cleansing healed lepers (Lev 14:4-6; cf. 49-51). Hyssop is mentioned also in connection with the Passover (Exod 12:22) and the cleansing rites associated with the ashes of the red heifer (Num 19:6, 18). It was the natural thing to use hyssop in cleansing (Ps 51:7). The sprinkling of the scroll is not mentioned in Exodus 24. But the book was written by men, and thus it must be cleansed of any defilement they might have conveyed to it. While we do not know where this information came from, there is nothing improbable about any of it.

(Heb 9:20 NASB) saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you."

20 The author has changed the LXX's "Behold, the blood of the covenant" to "This is the blood of the covenant" (which may be meant as a reminiscence of the words used by Jesus at the Last Supper [Mark 14:24]). The verb, too, is different, and the change to "commanded" is highly suitable in the case of a covenant where God lays down the terms. This is no negotiated instrument.

(Heb 9:21 NASB) And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood.

21 "In the same way" does not imply "at the same time." When the covenant was made, the tabernacle had not been constructed. But the cleansing with blood that marked the solemn inauguration of the covenant marked also the solemn inauguration of the place of worship when that took place in due course. Perhaps we are meant to see the dedication of the tabernacle as a kind of renewal of the covenant. Certainly there is continuity. The sprinkling with blood at the consecration of the tabernacle is not specifically mentioned in the OT. It is, however, attested also by Josephus, who says that Aaron's garments, Aaron himself, and apparently the tabernacle and its vessels were sprinkled with blood (Antiq. III, 205-6 [viii. 6]). Under the old covenant sprinkling with blood was the accepted way of cleansing.

(Heb 9:22 NASB) And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."

22 Cleansing, then, meant blood, though the qualification "nearly [schedon] every thing" shows that the author is well aware that there were exceptions. Thus the worshiper who was too poor to offer even little birds might instead make a cereal offering (Lev 5:11-13). Some purification could be effected with water (e.g., Lev 15:10), and there might be purification of metal objects by fire and "the water of impurity" (Num 31:22-23). On one occasion gold made atonement for the warriors (Num 31:50), while on another occasion incense atoned (Num 16:46). But such ceremonies were all exceptional. As a whole the Levitical system looks constantly for blood as the means of putting away sin and impurity. The author does not ask why this should be so, though it is clearly the teaching of the OT, as the rabbis also recognized (see, for example, Tal Yoma 5a)."

[(Heb 9:15-22) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Heb 9:15-22]:

(Heb 9:16 NASB) For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.

(Heb 9:17 NASB) For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.

(Heb 9:18 NASB) Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood.

(Heb 9:20 NASB) saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you."

(Heb 9:21 NASB) And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood.

(Heb 9:22 NASB) And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.,"

[(Heb 9:15-22) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Heb 9:15-22, cont.]:

"The Mediator of the New Covenant (9:15-22)
The author has introduced the thought of the death of Christ and proceeds to develop it. This death is the means of redeeming people from the plight they found themselves in as the result of their sin. It brings them an eternal inheritance. With a play on the double meaning of diatheke (both "a covenant" and "a testament"), the author goes on to bring out the necessity for the death of Christ just as the death of the testator is required if a will is to come into force.

9:15. To do so is to retain the hope of an eternal inheritance (cf. "eternal redemption" in v. 12 and "the eternal Spirit" in v. 14) which has been promised to recipients of New-Covenant life. Christ is the Mediator (cf. 8:6; 12:24) of that covenant, and the "inheritance" is available to those who are called since the death of the Mediator has freed them from all guilt derived from the sins committed under the First Covenant.

The author was here perhaps countering the appeal of the sectarians, or others, to the "guilt feelings" of those Jewish Christians who must often have been charged with deserting their ancestral faith. But the blood of Christ ought to quiet their consciences permanently and lead them to pursue the "eternal inheritance" which the New-Covenant relationship brought them. Of course the writer meant here as elsewhere that it is only "through faith and patience" that his readers could "inherit what has been promised" (6:12); but if they would rest their consciences at the Cross, they could pursue this heirship undistractedly.

(Heb 9:16 NASB) For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.

(Heb 9:17 NASB) For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.

"9:16-17. In opening the new unit of thought, the writer employed a swift semantic shift in which he treated the Greek word for "covenant" (diathēke4) in the sense of a will. While "covenants" and "wills" are not in all respects identical, the author meant that in the last analysis the New Covenant is really a testamentary disposition. Like human wills, all the arrangements are secured by the testator and its beneficiaries need only accept its terms.
Treating the New Covenant in this way, the author argued that its force—like that of all human wills—depends on the death of the one who made it. That is when it takes effect."

(Heb 9:18 NASB) Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood.

(Heb 9:20 NASB) saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you."

(Heb 9:21 NASB) And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood.

(Heb 9:22 NASB) And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.,"

"9:18-21. The Old Covenant was also put into effect with blood. Drawing on material that may have partly been derived from traditions known to the writer but not specified in the Old Testament, he described the inauguration of the Old Covenant through ceremonies involving the sprinkling of sacrificial blood.

9:22. This verse applies to the Old-Covenant institutions, and the words nearly everything leave room for the flour offering which a poor Israelite might bring for his sin (Lev. 5:11-13). But the writer was thinking of the system as a whole and the ritual of the Day of Atonement that pertained to the totality of the nation's sins, which showed that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. These words also constitute a principle that is true in the New Covenant."

(Heb 9:23 NASB) Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

(Heb 9:24 NASB) For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

(Heb 9:25 NASB) nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.

(Heb 9:26 NASB Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

(Heb 9:27 NASB) And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

(Heb 9:28 NASB) so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him."

[(Heb 9:23-28) Biblestudymanuals On Heb 9:23-28]:

(Heb 9:23 NASB) "Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these."

Then Heb 9:18-22 indicate that the former Old Covenant of the Law was ratified based on a blood ceremony. In fact, the words "this is the blood of the covenant" that are quoted in verse 20 are taken from Exodus 24:8 and refer to God’s inauguration of the Mosaic Covenant with Israel at Sinai. These words parallel Christ’s words which are quoted in Heb 9:20 from Matthew 26:28 ("this is the blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins"). The writer of Hebrews uses these express and implied references to the Mosaic Covenant and the Upper Room Discourse to show that just as blood ratified the Mosaic Covenant, Christ’s blood ratified the New Covenant in order to justify God's unilateral making and fulfillment of a future New Covenant exclusively with a future generation of Israel which substitutionary atonement included the salvation of all of mankind through faith throughout the ages, past, present and future - which the latter group of people are not party of that New Covenant. Thus, verses 18-22 of Hebrews chapter 9 indicate that benefits have been forthcoming as a result of the forgiveness of sins for all of mankind via the shed blood of Jesus Christ, Who is the Mediator between God and a future Israel via the New Covenant which was ratified in His blood and now awaits fulfillment with that future generation when the time comes in accordance with the sovereignty of God - and the volition of man each of every single individual of that generation of Israel to express a moment of faith alone in Christ alone as He arrives to earth at His Second Coming.

Then in Heb 9:23 which reads, (Heb 9:23 NASB) "Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these," indicates that in order for the New Covenant to be fulfilled, the death of Christ was necessary. Copies of the heavenly things on earth would not do the job of providing sacrifices for forgiveness of sins. Note that Heb 9:22 stipulates that "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" of sins in order to receive eternal life. What Christ entered is "heaven itself." The important point is that heaven itself is regarded as the true sanctuary, not some structure within it to which the earthly tabernacle corresponded. "Now" points to present activity. After his atoning work done once for all, Christ now appears before God. We are not fit to stand before God and plead our case, and in any event we are on earth and not in God's heaven. But Christ is there in our stead and in His capacity as the One Who died as a better sacrifice (v. 23) for sins.

Whereupon Heb 9:24 NASB, which reads, "For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;" explains that Christ did not enter a holy place which was made with human hands, such as the Tabernacle, or the Temple, which place was a mere / ineffective copy of the true one, but He did enter into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us - as a propitiation for the sins of the whole world, (1 Jn 2:2).

[(Heb 9:23-24) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 9:23-24]:

(Heb 9:23 NASB) "Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these."

'''23 "It was necessary" points to something more than expediency or the selection of one among a number of possible courses of action. There was no other way. "Therefore" (rather than "then"; the Greek is oun) introduces the necessary inference. The writer has made it clear that blood must be shed in purification according to the law. Specifically the rule is that "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (v. 22). This cannot be ignored as merely Jewish, for the Mosaic system was set up by divine command.
It is true, the author reasons, that the Mosaic system was concerned only with "the copies of the heavenly things"; it was taken up with the external. But the fact that God commanded the system to be set up means that there must be something analogous in it to the way the forgiveness that would really put away sin was brought about. What is stressed is that where atonement really matters—i.e., in the heavenly sphere—better sacrifices are needed than were provided under the old system.

There is a problem in seeing in what sense things in heaven—where God is (v. 24)—need purification. Some deny outright that they need it, regarding the expression as a way of referring to God's people. Thus Bruce (in loc.) reminds us that the author tells us repeatedly that it is people's consciences that need to be cleansed; and so the author can speak of God's people as his dwelling, his house (cf. 3:6). Others make essentially the same point and hold that it is not something material but spiritual that is seen as needing cleansing—a fact meaning that Christ's work is effective in the spiritual life of men, not in some material sanctuary. The difficulty with such interpretations is that, while what they say is true, "the heavenly things themselves" is a strange way of referring to men and women here on earth. Other commentators see in v. 23 a reference to Satan's rebellion and think of that as somehow defiling heaven so that heaven itself needs cleansing. Still others think of purification in the sense in which it is used here as meaning not so much the removal of impurity as a consecratory or inaugural process. This, they feel, is not out of place with "the heavenly things" any more than with an earthly sanctuary. Akin to that is the view that the earthly sanctuary needed cleansing, not so much because it was unclean, as because it was the place where sinners were restored. So with heaven.

On the whole, it seems best to recall that in the NT there are references to "the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph 6:12); the "rulers of this age" (1Cor 2:8); the "powers" like "height" and "depth" (Rom 8:38-39), as well as "angels" and "demons." Such references seem to indicate wickedness beyond this earth. And when Christ performed his atoning work, he "disarmed the powers and authorities,... triumphing over them by the cross" (Col 2:15). It was God's will "through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" (Col 1:20). This strand of teaching is not prominent in Hebrews. Nevertheless, the language used here seems to accord with it better than with other views. The author is fond of the word "better" (see comments on 1:4), but it is unexpected for him to use the plural "sacrifices," since he is insistent that there was but one sacrifice and that Christ suffered "once for all" (v. 26). Probably we should take "sacrifices" as the generic plural that lays down the principle fulfilled in the one sacrifice.

(Heb 9:24 NASB) "For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;"

'''24 Christ's work for mankind was done where it really counted. "For" introduces an explanation of what precedes. We have already had the idea that Christ's ministry was not in a sanctuary that is "man-made" (v. 11), and here we come back to it. Not in such sanctuaries can the Atonement be made that really deals with sin. Here such a sanctuary is described as a "copy" (antitypa) of the true one. The word typos "type" is ambiguous and may mean the original or a copy. Thus antitypos, "corresponding to the typos," is also ambiguous..... The earthly antitype points us to the heavenly reality, "the true one."

What He entered is "heaven itself." The word for "heaven" is usually plural in this epistle. Here, however, it is singular. There seems no difference in meaning. The important point is that heaven itself is regarded as the true sanctuary, not some structure within it to which the earthly tabernacle corresponded. "Now" points to present activity. After his atoning work done once for all, Christ now appears before God. We are not fit to stand before God and plead our case, and in any event we are on earth and not in God's heaven. But Christ is there in our stead and in his capacity as the one who died as a better sacrifice (v. 23) for sins''''

[(Heb 9:23) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Heb 9:23]:

(Heb 9:23 NASB) "Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these."

"9:23. In connection with the New Covenant, the writer then enunciated his basic principle: the death of Christ was necessary. Mere copies (hypodeigmata; cf. 8:5; 9:24) of the heavenly things might be adequately hallowed by animal sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves required more than that. The expression "heavenly things" referred quite generally to the new priestly arrangements, which have heaven as their focal point. These arrangements involve dealing with people's sin and must thus be inaugurated with a sacrifice adequate to "do away" with that sin (cf. v. 26). The death of Christ meets this requirement."

(Heb 9:24 NASB) For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

(Heb 9:25 NASB) nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.

(Heb 9:27 NASB) And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

(Heb 9:28 NASB) so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him."

[(Heb 9:24-28) Biblestudymanuals On Heb 9:24-28]:

(Heb 9:24 NASB) For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

(Heb 9:25 NASB) nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.

[Heb 9:25 goes on to say that Christ did not offer one time or have to offer Himself more than one time like the priests under the Mosaic Law had to do year by year and with blood that was not his own - which offer by the Mosaic Law priests was ineffective in making provision for the reception of forgiveness of sins unto eternal life. Although it was basic for the priests to their ministry under the Law of Moses to offer sacrifices repeatedly, it was basic to Christ's ministry that He did not do so repeatedly, but to offer Himself once for all mankind for all time. The reference in v. 25 to entering "the Most Holy Place every year" shows that the sacrifices of the priests under the Law of Moses mainly in mind are those of the Day of Atonement. So only Christ's offering can put away sin. The sins of those who lived in old times were dealt with by Christ's one offering. The reasoning is that if that offering had not been sufficient, Christ would have had to offer himself "again and again." No other offering is in view when it is a matter of really putting sin away. When the high priest entered the Most Holy Place he did so "with blood that is not his own, which disqualified the effectiveness of His sacrifice. The superiority and effectiveness of Christ's offering is seen in that He does not press into service some external means, like the blood of some noncooperating, noncomprehending animal. He uses his own blood and with it makes the one sufficient offering.

Christ was appointed as High Priest of the New Covenant to represent sinful people in heaven itself, that is, in the presence of God. So His sacrifice had to be greater than that which allowed entrance into a mere man-made sanctuary that was only a copy (antitypa) of the true one. Nor could Christ offer repeated sacrifices as in the Levitical institution, for that would have required Him to die many times since the Creation of the world. Instead, as is obvious, the heavenly ministry of Christ called for a thoroughly sufficient, one-time sacrifice. This is precisely why He appeared once for all (hapax, cf. v. 28; also cf. ephapax in 7:27; 9:12; 10:10) at the end of the ages to do away with sin, which the priests in the old arrangement could not do. By the phrase "end of the ages" the writer evidently meant the climax of the Old Testament eras as well as the imminency of the climax of all things. He will shortly refer to Christ's second advent.

(Heb 9:26 NASB) "Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself."

(Heb 9:25-26) Biblestudymanuals On Heb 9:25-26]:

(Heb 9:25 NASB) "nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.

(Heb 9:26 NASB) Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself."

Heb 9:25 indicates that Christ was appointed as High Priest of the New Covenant to represent sinful people in heaven itself, that is, in the presence of God. So His sacrifice had to be greater than that which allowed entrance into a mere man-made sanctuary that was only a copy (antitypa) of the true one. Nor could Christ offer repeated sacrifices as in the Levitical institution, for that would have required Him to die many times since the Creation of the world. Instead, as is obvious, the heavenly ministry of Christ called for a thoroughly sufficient, one-time sacrifice. This is precisely why He appeared once for all (hapax, cf. v. 28; also cf. ephapax in 7:27; 9:12; 10:10) at the end of the ages to do away with sin, which the priests in the old arrangement could not do. By the phrase "end of the ages" the writer evidently meant the climax of the Old Testament eras as well as the imminency of the climax of all things. He will shortly refer to Christ's second advent.

Whereupon in Heb 9:26 Christ would have needed to suffer often since the beginning of the foundation of the world multiple times; but instead with the consummation of the ages Christ put away sin completely and forever by the once for all sacrifice of Himself. There is no other way of dealing with sin than Christ's own offering of Himself. If His one offering was not enough, he would have had to suffer over and over. "Suffer," of course, is used in the sense of "suffer death." The reference to "creation" carries the idea right back to the beginning. No one would ever have been saved without the offering made by Christ.

[(Heb 9:26) Expositor's On Heb 9:26]:

(Heb 9:26 NASB) "Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself."

"26 What is implied in v. 25 is made explicit here. "Then" is perhaps not the best translation of epei, which, as often, introduces an elliptical construction, with a meaning like "for [if it were different]" or, as BAG (s.v.) puts it, "for otherwise he would have had to suffer many times." Again, the implication is that there is no other way of dealing with sin than Christ's own offering of himself. If his one offering was not enough, he would have had to suffer over and over. "Suffer," of course, is used in the sense of "suffer death." The reference to "creation" carries the idea right back to the beginning. No one would ever have been saved without the offering made by Christ.

"Now" (nyni) is not temporal; this is an example of its use "introducing the real situation after an unreal conditional clause or sentence, but, as a matter of fact" (BAG, s.v.). Once again the author emphasizes the decisive quality of Christ's sacrifice with his "once for all." It matters a great deal to the author that Christ made the definitive offering and that now that it has been made there is no place for another. Many take "at the end of the ages" to mean that the author thought he was living in the last days and that Christ would return very speedily to bring this world to an end. So his sacrifice on the cross was made in the world's last days. But whatever he thought about the imminence of the end of all things, the author says little about it. We should probably understand the words here rather in the sense of "the consummation of the ages," or perhaps with NEB, "at the climax of history." If we take it in the sense of "the close of the age," it would mean that the first coming of Christ—and more particularly his offering of himself on the cross—ushered in the final state of affairs.

It is a common thought of the NT writers that God's decisive action in Christ has altered things radically. The Messianic Age has come—the age that all the preceding ages have led up to.
The purpose of Christ's coming was "to do away with sin." Here the expression eis athetesin is a strong one, signifying the total annulment of sin. The word "is used in a technical juristic sense" (Deiss BS, pp. 228-29) with the meaning "to annul" or "cancel." Sin, then, is rendered completely inoperative and this was done "by the sacrifice of himself." It is the self-offering of Christ that is the decisive thing. For the author this is the truth that must be grasped.

[(Heb 9:24-26) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Heb 9:24-26]:

(Heb 9:24 NASB) "For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

(Heb 9:25 NASB) nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.

"9:24-26. Christ was appointed as High Priest of the New Covenant to represent sinful people in heaven itself, that is, in the presence of God. So His sacrifice had to be greater than that which allowed entrance into a mere man-made sanctuary that was only a copy (antitypa) of the true one. Nor could Christ offer repeated sacrifices as in the Levitical institution, for that would have required Him to die many times since the Creation of the world. Instead, as is obvious, the heavenly ministry of Christ called for a thoroughly sufficient, one-time sacrifice. This is precisely why He appeared once for all (hapax, cf. v. 28; also cf. ephapax in 7:27; 9:12; 10:10) at the end of the ages to do away with sin, which the priests in the old arrangement could not do. By the phrase "end of the ages" the writer evidently meant the climax of the Old Testament eras as well as the imminency of the climax of all things. He will shortly refer to Christ's second advent."

(Heb 9:27 NASB) And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

(Heb 9:28 NASB) so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him."

[(Heb 9:27-28) Biblestudymanuals On Heb 9:27-28]:

(Heb 9:27 NASB) "And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

(Heb 9:28 NASB) so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him."

The final two verses in chapter 9 focus upon man's transitory physical life which leads to God's sovereign appointment to men to die once and then face His judgment. Those who have trusted alone in Christ alone have been judged at the cross of Christ which results in them being saved by grace, through faith unto eternal life. But all others, i.e., those who have not believed in Christ's salvation will be judged on how they conduct their lives as it indicates in 9:27 - the majority of mankind. So the salvation in Heb 9:27-28a which emphasizes that Christ bore the sins of many, i.e., all of mankind is unto eternal life. The Hebrew Christians might have in view eternal life in the Eternal Kingdom of God especially as depicted in the Hebrew / Old Testament Bible which they were familiar with. On the other hand, the second salvation of Heb 9:28 is without reference to sins and stipulates that this salvation is when Christ will appear a second time, i.e., in His Second Coming. This time the salvation has to do with that kind of salvation where sins are not the issue - evidently a kind of salvation / deliverance unto blessings with only believers in view who will receive rewards in the Eternal Kingdom of God because they led relatively faithful lives, i.e., those believers who eagerly await His - Christ's Second Coming which has in view the end of the Tribulation Period. The Hebrew Believers in the Book of Hebrews might view this timeframe as the commencement of the Eternal Kingdom of God which is repeatedly depicted in the Old Testament. And in the New Testament, this Second Coming has in view Christ's arrival to establish / rule over His Eternal Kingdom at the end of the Tribulation Period. So in view are those believers who at Christ's Second Coming will eagerly await to receive this particular salvation which consists of rewards as a result of being relatively faithful during that particular time at the end of the Tribulation period as Christ Comes to begin His Rule in the Eternal Kingdom which the Hebrew Christians might readily be familiar with especially having become familiar with the Hebrew / Old Testament Bible. So certain believers will eagerly await their salvation / deliverance unto blessings / rewards for being faithful and will receive those rewards accordingly. This is to say that there will evidently be believers at Christ's Second Coming who do not eagerly await Christ in the sense of eagerly awaiting their reception receiving rewards for being faithful because they were not faithful and would not be so rewarded. It does not say that believers who were not faithful would not receive eternal life, as some absurdly contend. For salvation unto eternal life is solely and exclusively via a moment of faith alone in Christ alone, not by works - human doing of any kind. It is a free gift of God, (cf. Eph 2:8-9, ).

[(Heb 9:27-28) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Heb 9:27-28]:

(Heb 9:27 NASB) "And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

(Heb 9:28 NASB) so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him."

"27 This phase of the argument is rounded off with a reference to the one death men die and the one death Christ died. There is a finality about both but very different consequences. Men are "destined to die once." This is not something within their control. A condition of life here on earth is that it ends in death. The "once for all" (hapax) so often used of Christ's sacrifice is here used of man's death. There is a finality about it that is not to be disputed. But if it is the complete and final end to life on earth, it is not, as so many in the ancient world thought, the complete and final end. Death is more serious than that because it is followed by judgment. Men are accountable, and after death they will render account to God.

28 "So" introduces a correspondence with the "just as" at the beginning of the previous verse. The passive "was sacrificed" is interesting because it is much more usual for the author to say that Christ offered himself (cf. v. 26). Some see the thought here that Christ's enemies were in a sense responsible for his death, but it seems more likely that it is the divine purpose that is in mind. Once more we have the adverb "once-for-all" (hapax) applied to the death of Christ. This means a good deal to the author, and he comes back to it again and again.

It is a little difficult to follow NIV in this verse, for an expression meaning "to bear sins" is here rendered "to take away the sins" while later in the verse "not to bear sin" is the translation of an expression that signifies "apart from sin" and has nothing to do with the bearing of sin at all. Sin-bearing is a concept found in the NT only here and in 1 Peter 2:24, but it is quite frequent in the OT, where it plainly means "bear the penalty of sin." For example, the Israelites were condemned to wander in the wilderness for forty years as the penalty for their failure to go up into the land of Canaan: "For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins" (Num 14:34; cf. Ezek 18:20, et al.). Many see here an echo of the fourth Servant Song: "He will bear their iniquities" (Isa 53:11); "he bore the sin of many" (Isa 53:12). So the author is saying that Christ took upon himself the consequences of the sins of the many (cf. Mark 10:45).

But this is not the whole story. Christ will come back a second time and then he will not be concerned with sin. The thought is that sin was dealt with finally at his first coming. There is nothing more that he should do. The second time he will come "to bring salvation." There is a sense in which salvation has been brought about by Christ's death. But there is another sense in which it will be brought to its consummation when he returns. Nothing is said about unbelievers. At this point the writer is concerned only with those who are Christ's. They "are waiting for him," where the verb apekdechomai expresses the eager looking for the Lord's coming so characteristic of the NT."

[(Heb 9:27-28) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Heb 9:27-28]:

(Heb 9:27 NASB) "And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

(Heb 9:28 NASB) so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him."

"9:27-28. With this observation, eschatological realities come into focus. Humans are sinful creatures destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. But this danger is turned aside by the fact that Christ was sacrificed once (hapax, cf. v. 26) to take away the sins of many people. The recurrence of "once" (9:26, 28) and of "once for all" (7:27; 9:12; 10:10) stresses the finality and the singleness of Christ's sacrificial work in contrast with the repeated Levite ministrations. In addition, the "once"-sacrifice of Christ (vv. 26, 28) compares with the "once"-death of each person (v. 27). Now those who are waiting (apekdechomenois; used seven times in the NT of the return of Christ: Rom. 8:19, 23, 25; 1 Cor. 1:7; Gal. 5:5; Phil. 3:20; Heb. 9:28) for Him can look forward to His coming, not with a fearful expectation of judgment, but with the anticipation of salvation.
His first advent was to bear sins away—but His second will be not to bear sin (lit., "without [reference to] sins").
Deftly the author implied that "those who are waiting for Him" constitute a smaller circle than those whom His death has benefited. They are, as all his previous exhortations reveal, the ones who "hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first" (3:14). The "salvation" He will bring them at His second coming will be the "eternal inheritance" of which they are heirs (cf. 9:15; 1:14).

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