The Way Into The Holy Places

These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people.  By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age).  According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation. 

Hebrews 9:6-10

Ok, so this might seem like an odd text to start off with, and I’m feeling a bit over my head, but we’re going to give this a shot anyway! 

Here’s the context.  The writer of Hebrews is talking about the earthly tent that God instructed Moses to erect.  It had two parts: the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.  Everything was overlaid with gold and its curtains were of the finest fabrics.  It was the place where God promised to meet with His people.  God gave specific instructions to Moses about how everything was to be made so that this place would be sacred and set apart for special purposes of ritual sacrifice and worship.  In the Most Holy Place, the ark of the covenant was kept and access was strictly prohibited to everyone except the high priest who could go in once a year to offer a blood sacrifice for his sins and then for the sins of the people of Israel.  (It’s said that the high priest would have someone tie a rope to his leg in case after entering the Most Holy Place, he died and no one could go in to get him)  God would come into the Most Holy Place and dwell on top of the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant above the two cherubim of glory.  The Most Holy Place was, as the name implies, most holy and nothing unclean could enter just like Israel couldn’t walk on the mountain when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments and why Moses had to take off his sandals when God appeared in the burning bush.  Those who didn’t abide by these rules died because God’s holiness cannot be approached by sinful humans. 

Ok, so I think we have the context of these verses now.  The tent is prepared.  The priests are doing their priest thing inside the tent.  The high priest is trembling and trying not to trip over the rope that is around his ankle as he enters into the presence of God Almighty.  And we read in verses 9-10 that these arrangements and ritual duties did nothing to perfect the conscience of the worshiper.  In other words, no one became more right with God because of the priestly sacrifices in the Most Holy Place.  They were simply regulations for the body (empty rituals) until a reformation took place.  They weren’t set in place by God as a means of righteousness.  They were set in place by God as a routine reminder of man’s separation from God (hence the closed curtains to both the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place which only certain priests could go behind). 

Fortunately, God didn’t let us remain going through empty rituals forever.  This spiritual problem of separation from God due to our sin was never going to be dealt with by an earthly tent and some yearly animal sacrifices.  It required a heavenly tent and a better sacrifice.  In His wisdom, God knew how He would handle this sin problem even before the world was made.  He would send His Son, Jesus who is the Christ, to live a perfect life and become the sinless sacrifice that would save us from our sin.  And to prove that Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient, God raised Him from the dead and now He is alive and He sits at the right hand of God in Heaven waiting to come again to save all those who have trusted in Him for salvation and followed Him in obedience. 

Now let’s look at verse 8. 

By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age). 

By this…that the high priest is the only one who can go into the Most Holy Place and that the Holy Place is surrounded by a veil.  By this…the way into the holy places is not opened (or perhaps a better translation “the way has not been made manifest”) as long as the first section is still standing. 

We can’t meet with God.  We can’t have Eden like the pre-Fall Adam and Eve where they walked with God in the garden.  The curtain is erected and we are on the outside unable even to look in.  What a sad existence!  Performing all these duties that don’t even add a measure of perfection to our standing before God.  Longing to see Him.  Longing to be near Him.  And having no possible way. 

But wait! 

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

Hebrews 9:11-12

Jesus has entered the true Holy of Holies in Heaven.  He has entered as our high priest to offer a sacrifice for our sin.  He has entered to offer Himself.  And all of those things that the earthly priests weren’t able to do, Jesus did!  His sacrifice does perfect our conscience!  His sacrifice is the reformation and the New Covenant promised by God to Jeremiah that He would write His law on our hearts and be our God and not deal with us according to our iniquities!  Jesus’ blood secures this for us. 

And what about that curtain? 

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Hebrews 10:19-22

Just as the earthly curtain was torn in the temple as Jesus gave up His Spirit, the tearing of His flesh by the nails of the Cross was literally the removal of the veil that prevented us from entering into the presence of God. 

If we believe that Christ died for our sins and calls us to follow Him in obedience, we can enter into the presence of God because we are made clean forever by the True Sacrifice.  Jesus didn’t just secure forgiveness for us.  He is the Way to God, to being in His presence, to knowing His love, to experiencing His grace.  As the Psalmist says, “In Your presence there is fullness of joy!” 

That’s what Jesus does for us.  He provides the way to everlasting joy by tearing the curtain that separates us from God so that we too can experience the sweet fellowship of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

Have you experienced this?  If you have, then you know exactly what I mean. 

If you haven’t, what are you waiting for?  Christ beckons you to come.