Heb Hebrews, chapter Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 9
The Earthly Sanctuary
Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary.
For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence; this is called the Holy Place.
Behind the second curtain stood a tent called the Most Holy Place,
containing the golden incense altar and the covenant ark completely overlaid with gold. Inside this were the golden jar holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the covenant tablets.
Above it stood the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. But we cannot now discuss these items in detail.
With these arrangements thus prepared, the priests enter the first tent constantly, conducting their ministry.
But into the second tent only the high priest enters, once annually, never without blood, which he presents for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.
The Holy Spirit indicates through this that the way into the holy places has not yet been revealed while the first tent still stands.
This serves as an illustration for the present time, showing that the gifts and sacrifices being presented cannot perfect the conscience of the worshipper.
These consist only of food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.
Eternal Redemption
But Christ appeared as High Priest of the good things that have come, passing through the greater and more complete tent not made with hands, meaning not of this creation.
He entered once for all into the holy places, not through the blood of goats and calves but through His own blood, having secured eternal redemption.
For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on the defiled, sanctify for bodily purification,
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit presented Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
For this very reason, Christ serves as the mediator of a new covenant: through His sacrificial death, which secures release from the transgressions committed under the former covenant, those whom God has called may now receive the promised eternal inheritance.
For where a testament exists, the death of the testator must be established.
For a testament takes effect only at death, since it has no force while the testator lives.
Consequently, not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood.
For when Moses had proclaimed every commandment according to the Law to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the scroll itself and all the people,
stating, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.”*
And similarly he sprinkled both the tent and all the ministry vessels with blood.
Indeed according to the Law, almost everything receives purification with blood, and without the shedding of blood forgiveness does not occur.
Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with superior sacrifices to these.
For Christ did not enter holy places made with hands, copies of the authentic ones, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
Nor did He enter to present Himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places annually with blood not his own.
Otherwise He would have needed to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But now, once at the consummation of the ages, He has been revealed to remove sin through His sacrifice.
And just as it is appointed for people to die once, and after this judgment,
so Christ, having been presented once to bear the sins of many people, will appear a second time, apart from sin, to those eagerly awaiting Him for salvation.
Notes
20 Quoted from Ex. 24:8