Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Hebrews 9:23
[It was] therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
23. patterns ] Rather, “copies,” or outlines Abbilden (not Urbilden), Heb 4:11, Heb 8:5.
the heavenly things themselves ] Not “the New Covenant,” or “the Church,” or “ourselves as heirs of heaven,” but apparently the Ideal Tabernacle in the Heavens, which was itself impure before Him to whom “ the very heavens are not clean.” If this conception seem remote we must suppose that by the figure called Zeugma the verb “purified” passes into the sense of “handselled,” “dedicated.”
with better sacrifices than these ] The plural is here only used generically to express a class. He is alluding to the one transcendent sacrifice.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The patterns of things in the heavens – The tabernacle and its various utensils; see the notes on Heb 8:5.
Be purified with these – With water and blood, and by these ceremonies.
But the heavenly things themselves – The heavenly tabernacle or sanctuary into which Christ has entered, and where he performs the functions of his ministry. The use of the word purified here applied to heaven, does not imply that heaven was before unholy, but it denotes that it is now made accessible to sinners; or that they may come and worship there in an acceptable manner. The ancient tabernacle was purified or consecrated by the blood of the victims slain, so that people might approach with acceptance and worship; the heavens by purer blood are rendered accessible to the guilty. The necessity for better sacrifices in regard to the latter was, that it was designed to make the conscience pure, and because the service in heaven is more holy than any rendered on earth.
With better sacrifices than these – To wit, the sacrifice made by the offering of the Lord Jesus on the cross. This infinitely surpassed in value all that had been offered under the Jewish dispensation.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 23. The patterns of things in the heavens] That is: The tabernacle and all its utensils, services, c., must be purified by these, viz.: The blood of calves and goats, and the sprinkling of the blood and water with the bunch of hyssop bound about with scarlet wool. These are called patterns, , exemplars, earthly things, which were the representatives of heavenly things. And there is no doubt that every thing in the tabernacle, its parts, divisions, utensils, ministry, c., as appointed by God, were representations of celestial matters but how far and in what way we cannot now see.
Purification implies, not only cleansing from defilement, but also dedication or consecration. All the utensils employed in the tabernacle service were thus purified though incapable of any moral pollution.
But the heavenly things themselves]
1. Some think this means heaven itself, which, by receiving the sacrificed body of Christ, which appears in the presence of God for us, may be said to be purified, i.e., set apart for the reception of the souls of those who have found redemption in his blood.
2. Others think the body of Christ is intended, which is the tabernacle in which his Divinity dwelt and that this might be said to be purified by its own sacrifice, as he is said, Joh 17:19, to sanctify himself; that is, to consecrate himself unto God as a sin-offering for the redemption of man.
3. Others suppose the Church is intended, which he is to present to the Father without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
4. As the entrance to the holy of holies must be made by the sprinkling of the blood of the sacrifice, and as that holy of holies represented heaven, the apostle’s meaning seems to be that there was and could be no entrance to the holiest but through his blood; and therefore, when by a more perfect tabernacle, Heb 9:11; Heb 9:12, he passed into the heavens, not with the blood of bulls and goats, but by his own blood, he thus purified or laid open the entrance to the holiest, by a more valuable sacrifice than those required to open the entrance of the holy of holies. It was necessary, therefore, for God had appointed it so, that the tabernacle and its parts, c., which were patterns of things in the heavens, should be consecrated and entered with such sacrifices as have already been mentioned but the heaven of heavens into which Jesus entered, and whither he will bring all his faithful followers, must be propitiated, consecrated, and entered, by the infinitely better sacrifice of his own body and blood. That this is the meaning appears from the following verse.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
It was therefore necessary: this conclusion the Spirit draweth from the antecedent, Heb 9:18, proved in the following verses, therefore is it here rehearsed. The illative particle therefore, is but to sum up the use of blood about the first tabernacle, and that Testament dispensation. It is positively necessary by the will of God, expressively enjoining them, to point out better, and that there might be an agreement of the type with the truth.
That the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these: the tabernacles in all their parts, the book of the covenant, vessels, services, &c., being types, signs, examples, shadows of things in heaven, must be ceremonially purged and separated from common use to Divine, by those external, ritual sprinklings and lustrations, especially with beasts blood, mystically representing better blood and purifications of persons and things than these.
But the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these; but things more excellent and glorious than earthly ones, the gospel tabernacle in its parts, testament, and services, about which Christ ministereth, which are heavenly for their descent, agreeableness with, and tendency to it; they are spiritual and incorruptible, Heb 9:11,12; Heb 9:8:2; 12:22; Gal 4:26; Rev 21:1-27; are to be dedicated, set apart, put in force, and sanctified to God by the one sacrifice of Christ, of more value, worth, and virtue than all the legal sacrifices together. It is expressed plurally, to answer the opposite term, and to set out its excellency, being far above all others; the blood of it being that of God by personal union, and which is only efficacious for eternal good, and available with him; so ought it to be esteemed as it was in truth, and not quarrelled with by these Hebrews.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
23. patterns“thesuggestive representations”; the typical copies (see on Heb8:5).
things in the heavenstheheavenly tabernacle and the things therein.
purified with thesewiththe blood of bulls and goats.
heavenly thingsthemselvesthe archetypes. Man’s sin had introduced an elementof disorder into the relations of God and His holy angels in respectto man. The purification removes this element of disorder andchanges God’s wrath against man in heaven (designed to be the placeof God’s revealing His grace to men and angels) into a smile ofreconciliation. Compare “peace in heaven” (Lu19:38). “The uncreated heaven of God, though in itselfuntroubled light, yet needed a purification in so far as the light oflove was obscured by the fire of wrath against sinful man”[DELITZSCH in ALFORD].Contrast Re 12:7-10.Christ’s atonement had the effect also of casting Satan out of heaven(Luk 10:18; Joh 12:31,compare Heb 2:14). Christ’sbody, the true tabernacle (see on Heb8:2; Heb 9:11), as bearingour imputed sin (2Co 5:21), wasconsecrated (Joh 17:17; Joh 17:19)and purified by the shedding of His blood to be the meeting place ofGod and man.
sacrificesThe pluralis used in expressing the general proposition, though strictlyreferring to the one sacrifice of Christ once for all. Paulimplies that His one sacrifice, by its matchless excellency, isequivalent to the Levitical many sacrifices. It, though but one, ismanifold in its effects and applicability to many.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
It was therefore necessary,…. On account of the divine appointment, and that types and antitypes might correspond; and especially it was necessary with respect to the Messiah, the substance and body of all types. So Jonathan ben Uzziel paraphrases the text in Ex 40:9:
“and thou shalt take the anointing oil, and thou shalt anoint the tabernacle, and all that is in it; and thou shall sanctify it, , because of the crown of the kingdom of the house of Judah, and the King Messiah, who shall redeem Israel in the latter days.”
Upon his account it was necessary,
that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; that is, that all the people, and the book of the covenant, and the tabernacle, and its vessels, which were types and patterns of persons and things in Gospel churches, should be purified with blood and water, and with scarlet wool and hyssop.
But the heavenly things themselves, with better sacrifices than these; the sum and substance of the above patterns, shadows, and examples, such as heaven itself; which though not impure in itself, yet some think it, may be said to be purified, because saints are made meet for it, by being purged with the blood of Christ; others observe, that sin reaches to heaven, and provokes God that dwells there; hence atonement for it may be called a purification of heaven: but rather this may be said of it, inasmuch as by the blood of Christ an entrance and preparation is made for the saints into it. Likewise, the human nature of Christ is among these heavenly things; not that it is heavenly, as to the matter and substance of it, but may be so called, because of its wonderful formation; and which has been purified, not from any real internal pollution that was in it, but from what was imputed to it, the sin of his people. Also the whole church, triumphant and militant, may be intended by heavenly things: the Old Testament saints went to heaven before Christ came; and though they were not impure, but were the spirits of just men made perfect, yet their iniquities were purged by the blood and sacrifice of Christ, after they were gone to heaven; see Heb 9:15. The church militant, or believers on earth, may be said to be heavenly, since they are partakers of an heavenly birth and calling; their head is in heaven, and their conversation is there; and they have a right unto it, and are making meet for it; and they are in themselves defiled with sin, and are purified by the blood of Christ, and sanctified by the offering up of his body once for all: to which may be added, that spiritual blessings are heavenly things; they are from heaven, and saints are blessed with them in heavenly places and these come to them through the blood and sacrifice of Christ; yea, the Gospel, which is from heaven, and the doctrines of it, are sealed and confirmed by the blood of Christ: his sacrifice is expressed in the plural number; not that there has been a repetition of it, for it is but one sacrifice, and but once offered up, and will never be reiterated; but to show the excellency of it, being usual with the Jews to use the plural number of things the most excellent; so Christ is called “Wisdoms”, Pr 1:20 besides, respect may be had to the many sacrifices under the law, which were types of it, and were answered and fulfilled by it; and to the many persons on whose account it was offered; and to the parts of it, the soul and body of Christ: and this is a better sacrifice than the legal ones, in its own nature and in its use and efficacy to take away sin, and make perfect, which they could not.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| The Priesthood of Christ; The Second Coming of Christ. | A. D. 62. |
23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
In this last part of the chapter, the apostle goes on to tell us what the Holy Ghost has signified to us by the legal purifications of the patterns of the things in heaven, inferring thence the necessity of better sacrifices to consecrate the heavenly things themselves.
I. The necessity of purifying the patterns of the things in heaven, v. 23. This necessity arises both from the divine appointment, which must always be obeyed, and from the reason of that appointment, which was to preserve a proper resemblance between the things typifying and the things typified. It is observable here that the sanctuary of God on earth is a pattern of heaven, and communion with God in his sanctuary is to his people a heaven upon earth.
II. The necessity that the heavenly things themselves should be purified with better sacrifices than of bulls and goats; the things themselves are better than the patterns, and must therefore be consecrated with better sacrifices. These heavenly things are the privileges of the gospel state, begun in grace, perfected in glory. These must be ratified by a suitable sanction or consecration; and this was the blood of Christ. Now it is very evident that the sacrifice of Christ is infinitely better than those of the law. 1. From the places in which the sacrifices under the law, and that under the gospel, were offered. Those under the law were the holy places made with hands, which are but figures of the true sanctuary, v. 24. Christ’s sacrifice, though offered upon earth, was by himself carried up into heaven, and is there presented in a way of daily intercession; for he appears in the presence of God for us. He has gone to heaven, not only to enjoy the rest and receive the honour due to him, but to appear in the presence of God for us, to present our persons and our performances, to answer and rebuke our adversary and accuser, to secure our interest, to perfect all our affairs, and to prepare a place for us. 2. From the sacrifices themselves, v. 26. Those under the law were the lives and blood of other creatures of a different nature from the offerers–the blood of beasts, a thing of small value, and which would have been of none at all in this matter had it not had a typical respect to the blood of Christ; but the sacrifice of Christ was the oblation of himself; he offered his own blood, truly called, by virtue of the hypostatical union, the blood of God; and therefore of infinite value. 3. From the frequent repetition of the legal sacrifices. This showed the imperfection of that law; but it is the honour and perfection of Christ’s sacrifice that, being once offered, it was sufficient to all the ends of it; and indeed the contrary would have been absurd, for then he must have been still dying and rising again, and ascending and then again descending and dying; and the great work had been always in fieri–always doing, and always to do, but never finished, which would be as contrary to reason as it is to revelation, and to the dignity of his person: But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared, to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. The gospel is the last dispensation of the grace of God to men. 4. From the inefficacy of the legal sacrifices, and the efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice. The legal sacrifices could not of themselves put away sin, neither procure pardon for it now power against it. Sin would still have lain upon us, and had dominion over us; but Jesus Christ by one sacrifice has made an end of sin, he has destroyed the works of the devil.
III. The apostle illustrates the argument from the appointment of God concerning men (Heb 9:27; Heb 9:28), and observes something like it in the appointment of God concerning Christ.
1. The appointment of God concerning men contains in it two things:– (1.) That they must once die, or, at least, undergo a change equivalent to death. It is an awful thing to die, to have the vital knot loosed or cut asunder, all relations here dropped at once, an end put to our probation and preparation state, and to enter into another world. It is a great work, and it is a work that can be but once done, and therefore had need to be well done. This is matter of comfort to the godly, that they shall die well and die but once; but it is matter of terror to the wicked, who die in their sins, that they cannot return again to do that great work better. (2.) It is appointed to men that after death they shall come to judgment, to a particular judgment immediately after death; for the soul returns to God as to its judge, to be determined to its eternal state; and men shall be brought to the general judgment, at the end of the world. This is the unalterable decree of God concerning men–they must die, and they must be judged. It is appointed for them, and it is to be believed and seriously considered by them.
2. The appointment of God concerning Christ, bearing some resemblance to the other. (1.) He must be once offered, to bear the sins of many, of all the Father had given to him, of all who should believe in his name. He was not offered for any sin of his own; he was wounded for our transgressions. God laid on him the iniquity of all his people; and these are many, though not so many as the rest of mankind; yet, when they are all gathered to him, he will be the first-born among many brethren. (2.) It is appointed that Christ shall appear the second time without sin, to the salvation of those who look for him. [1.] He will then appear without sin; at his first appearance, though he had no sin of his own, yet he stood charged with the sins of many; he was the Lamb of God that bore upon him the sins of the world, and then he appeared in the form of sinful flesh; but his second appearance will be without any such charge upon him, he having fully discharged it before, and then his visage shall not be marred, but shall be exceedingly glorious. [2.] This will be to the salvation of all who look for him; he will then perfect their holiness, their happiness; their number shall then be accomplished, and their salvation completed. Observe, It is the distinguishing character of true believers that they are looking for Christ; they look to him by faith; they look for him by hope and holy desires. They look for him in every duty, in every ordinance, in every providence now; and they expect his second coming, and are preparing for it; and though it will be sudden destruction to the rest of the world, who scoff at the report of it, it will be eternal salvation to those who look for it.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
The copies ( ). See 8:5 for this word, the earthly (Heb 8:4; Heb 9:1) tabernacle.
With these (). Instrumental case of , like the rites above described (verse 19), perhaps with some disparagement.
Themselves (). The heavenly realities (Heb 8:2; Heb 8:5; Heb 9:11).
With better sacrifices ( ). Instrumental case again. Point of this section (9:13-10:18).
Than these ( ). Use of and the accusative case after a comparative as in Heb 1:4; Heb 1:9. To us it seems a bit strained to speak of the ritual cleansing or dedication of heaven itself by the appearance of Christ as Priest-Victim. But the whole picture is highly mystical.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
The heavenly sanctuary required a better purification than the Levitical.
The patterns of things in the heavens. The earthly tabernacle and its furniture. See on ch. Heb 8:5.
With these [] . Things specified in ver. 19.
With better sacrifices [ ] . How can it be said that the heavenly things needed cleansing? It is not easy to answer. Various explanations have been proposed, which the student will find collected in Alford’s note on this passage. The expression is rhetorical and figurative, and appears to be founded on that feature of the Levitical ritual according to which the high priest was required, on the Great Day of Atonement, to make an atonement for the sanctuary, “because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel.” He was to do this also for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the great altar. See Lev 16:16 ff. The rite implied that even the holy of holies had contracted defilement from the people’s sin. Similarly, the atoning blood of Christ is conceived as purifying the things of the heavenly sanctuary which had been defiled by the sins of men. “If the heavenly city of God, with its Holy Place, is, conformably with the promise, destined for the covenant – people, that they may there attain to perfect fellowship with God, then their guilt has defiled these holy things as well as the earthly, and they must be purified in the same way as the typical law appointed for the latter, only not by the blood of an imperfect, but of a perfect sacrifice” (Delitzsch). 215
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “It was therefore necessary,” (anagke oun) “There therefore existed a necessity,” to meet the requirements of the law, and to provide a shadow-type, Exo 25:40; Exo 26:30.
2) “That the patterns of things in the heavens,” (ta men hupodeigmata ton en tois ouranois) “For the examples of the things in the heavens,” or copies to reflect likeness of things in the heavens, Heb 8:5; surrounded by angels at the mercy seat Christ offers his own blood for the sins of his brethren, Heb 7:25; Rom 8:34.
3) “Should be purified with these,” (toutois katharrizesthai) “To be cleansed by these things,” these various kinds of blood sacrifices, gifts, and offerings, /Heb 9:19-22.
4) “But the heavenly things themselves,” (auto de ta epourania) “On the other hand it was necessary for the heavenly things themselves,” Job 15:15; the very heavens of the first creation, now polluted by sin, it is to be understood by this statement, must also be redeemed, purified or restored from their ruin by the blood of Jesus Christ, Joh 3:16; Rom 8:19-23; Rev 5:9-14.
5) “With better sacrifices than these,” (kreittosin thusiais para tautas) “To be cleansed by better sacrifices than these,” than by these sacrifices of the first covenant. The heavens are to be purified by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and of praise of good angels, and of the redeemed saints, Eph 5:2; Php_2:17; Heb 13:15; Jesus died to put away all sin by the sacrifice of himself and now administers that sacrifice atonement blood for the restoration of the world, Heb 9:26; Heb 10:10-12.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
23. The patterns, or exemplars, etc. Lest any one should object and say that the blood by which the old testament was dedicated was different from that of a testator, the Apostle meets this objection, and says that it was no wonder that the tabernacle which was earthly was consecrated by the sacrificing of beasts; for there was an analogy and a likeness between the purification and the things purified. But the heavenly pattern or exemplar of which he now speaks was to be consecrated in a very different way; there was here no need of goats or of calves. It hence follows that the death of the testator was necessary.
The meaning then is this, — as under the Law there were only earthly images of spiritual things, so the rite of expiation was also, so to speak, carnal and figurative; but as the heavenly pattern allows of nothing earthly, so it requires another blood than that of beasts, such as may correspond with its excellency. Thus the death of the testator is necessary, in order that the testament may be really consecrated.
He calls the kingdom of Christ heavenly things, (157) for it is spiritual and possesses a full revelation of the truth. Better sacrifices he mentions instead of “a better sacrifice,” for it was only one; but he uses the plural number for the sake of the antithesis or contrast.
(157) By making “heavenly things” to mean things in heaven above, and not in the kingdom of heaven on earth, commentators have been under the necessity of altering the sense of the word “purified.” The tabernacle represented the whole kingdom of Christ, both on earth and in heaven. The sanctuary and the court, where the alter of burnt offering was, represented what Christ has done and is doing on earth; and the holy of holies was a representation of Christ’s kingdom in heaven. The victims were slain in the court without the vail; the shedding of blood was the atonement, but its sprinkling was its purifying and sanctifying effects. All the heavenly things in the Church on earth require purifying by the sprinkling of the blood of the atoning sacrifice once offered by Christ; and it is to this the reference is made here. And having provided means for purification, he as the high priest, by virtue of his sacrifice, entered into the holiest, heavenly things on earth, for the Church here below, in order to prepare it for the holiest above. “In the heavens” may probably refer to two parts of Christ’s kingdom, the one in heaven and the other on earth; and latter, as things which require a sacrifice; and then in the following verse the former part is alluded to, the kingdom above, even heaven, represented by the holy of holies. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES
Heb. 9:23. Patterns.Copies, outlines, earthly representations. These.Blood-sheddings; sacrifices of beasts. Heavenly things.Spiritual things; things of conscience and will; the spiritual realities of sin against God and broken relations with Him. Better sacrifices.Spiritual as contrasted with material. The argument of the writer is that Christs sacrifice must be better, because it is the Divine Mans surrendered will; and that is the very highest, sublimest thing in Gods universe.
Heb. 9:24. Made with hands.Touchable, so earthly. Figures of the true.Observe the writers frequent repetition of this idea. He was most anxious to get the Christian Jews thoroughly to loosen their hold on that old Mosaic system. Heaven itself.The holy place of God; the spiritual realm. For us.As the high priest did. First position: Christ is in the spiritual world as our Mediator. Second position: One such spiritual sacrifice suffices. Imperfection is shown by the need for repetition. Repetition is needed for picture teaching, which prepares for the reception of something that can be final.
Heb. 9:26. Often have suffered.Our Redeemers work is still regarded as covering sin from the earliest ages. In the end of the world.Not absolute end. It fits in with the apostolic idea of the last times. Put away sin.Clearly a moral work.
Heb. 9:27. Once to die.As the seal of sin. Judgment.As the Divine recognition of sin.
Heb. 9:28. Once offered.Only the sacrifice of one whole, representative life could be needed. Bear the sins.I.e. bear the burden or work of putting them away. Without sin.Or apart from sin; apart from all connection with it, because, when He comes, His redemptive work will be complete. To return for our salvation as the everlasting Victor over sin and over death.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Heb. 9:23-28
One Spiritual Sacrifice is Enough.The point of the paragraph is evidently thisif you have symbolical, teaching sacrifices, you must repeat your object-lessons over and over again. If you have a spiritual sacrifice, embodying the principle which you have been teaching, once will do, and there is no call for repetition; your whole energy can be put into applying, adapting, and working out the principle. Christs was a spiritual sacrifice; once at the end of the ages hath He been manifested to put away sins by the sacrifice of Himself. Christ also having been once offered to bear the sins of many.
I. Christs sacrifice is the better sacrifice.So much better as is represented by the difference between the dumb, unintelligent animal, and the speaking, thinking, feeling man, who has both will, and affections, and religious instincts. The gift of an animal could not interest God or win His favour, save as it stood for something, expressed something, carried to God a mans devotion and love. Then when a man was able to give that devotion and love directly, as Jesus Christ did, without the need of any animal to express His surrender, then we have the better sacrifice. When we have that better sacrifice to represent our devotion and our love, we can contentedly let the lower forms of sacrifice pass away. We are satisfied; we are now worthily represented; it is enough.
II. Christ, with His sacrifice, remains in the spiritual Holy of Holies.The old high priest went into the second chamber, taking the blood of the goat, but he did not stay in there; only the few drops that were sprinkled remained there. He came out, and must needs go in again by-and-by, when gathering human wilfulness and sin had broken off, or made uncertain, the relations of the people with God. But our spiritual High Priest went into the most secret chamber of the temple not made with hands, took His sacrifice, which was Himself, with Him, and has never come out, and never will. He, our Priest, is there; He, our sacrifice, is there. And our standing with God abides; it cannot be imperilled. It is a standing on the ground of His acceptance, of the merit of His sacrifice. It is a standing secured and maintained by His priestly mediation. There is no call for any repetition of the sacrifice, for any renewal of the atonement day. The day never comes to an end. That is the better, the all-satisfying sacrifice which God has always before Him. That is the all-sufficient priest, who never has to go into the Holy of Holies, because He is there, and abides there, ever ministering in His unchangeable priesthood.
III. Christs sacrifice is the climax of sacrifices.For humanity it is the perfect sacrifice. It is inconceivable that man can ever have, to give to God, a better sacrifice than Christ gave. And it is as inconceivable that God, dissatisfied with that, can ever want another from man. And why? Because the absolutely perfect sacrifice which the creature man can make to God is himself, and himself at the very best that man can possibly be. But that is precisely the sacrifice which Christ offered to God. It was the sacrifice of Himself, the Man Christ Jesus. It was Himself as tested and proved, by the strains of a human life, and the agony of a painful and shameful death, to be the very best man that could possibly be. That cannot be repeated. It is a climax once reached, and it stands us for ever. Man has offered to God at last the sacrifice which God demands, and which through the long ages his sacrifices of bulls and goats did but vainly aim to reach. This is the Lamb of God who offered Himself for man, and, infinitely acceptable to God, takes away the sin of the world. It is not only the better sacrifice; it is the best. Let man think the matter fully out, and he will surely fail to conceive a better sacrifice for humanity than Jesus is.
IV. Christs sacrifice need not be repeated, because it fully accomplished its ends.This is intimated in the reference to the judgment in Heb. 9:27-28. Death and the judgment represent all the woes brought into the world by sin. A redemption can do everything else, if it can deliver us from the death we dread, and give us salvation in the day when our earthly life is Divinely appraised. This is the power of the redemption in Christs priesthood and sacrifice. Because He lives we shall live also. And when before the throne, He, our Daysman, will be there for us, not now having to deal with our sin, apart from sin, but to secure our full and final salvation. Actual repetitions of the sacrifice of Christ there cannot be, there need not be, for the sacrifice is made once for all. Pictorial and symbolical representations of the sacrifice may be perilous, as suggesting doubts of the infinite value and sufficiency of the one offering once offered, which our High Priest is ever in the act of offering. The spiritual reality of the sacrifice needs to be fully realised, and then our interest in the historical occasion of the sacrifice, or the sublime occasion of the cross, would be felt to need no repetition in fact, and no pictorial or mystical reproduction. The once of the sacrifice is once for all; it is enough for ever.
Heb. 9:24. Heaven itself.It is manifestly not in accordance with the writers purpose to show that Christ has entered into the place of future bliss prepared for Gods redeemed people. By heaven itself he means the spiritual world, the realm of spiritual realities. Heaven itself is contrasted with the holy places made with hands. The tabernacle was a material tabernacle; Christs mediation belongs to the spiritual tabernacle. Priests ministered with material things, the patterns and pictures of spiritual, heavenly things; the great High Priest with the spiritual, heavenly things themselves. In the earthly tabernacle there was the symbol of the Divine Presence; in heaven, in the spiritual world, is the Presence itself. Christs work wholly belongs to the spiritual spheres.
SUGGESTIVE NOTES AND SERMON SKETCHES
Heb. 9:23. The Better Sacrifice is Christ Himself.After we have made the most of the ancient sacrificial system, we are still much in the dark as to the connection between the death of the sacrificial victim and the pardon of sin. The Levitical sacrifices did not deal effectually with the problem. They were merely putative atonements for artificial sinsfor the ignorances or ritual errors of the people, not for their great moral transgressions. More light comes to us by reflection on the nature of the sacrifice by which the new covenant is inaugurated than from the whole Levitical system. Here for the first time we have priest and victim united in one. Christs sacrifice is Himself. Here the virtue lies not in the blood, though that is formally mentioned, but in the offering of a perfect will through the eternal spirit of holy love. In this offering God can take pleasure, not because of the pain and the blood-shedding, but in spite of these. By the virtue of this offering God is reconciled to the world, and can regard with a benignant eye a guilty race. We are accepted in the Beloved, the Messianic King and His subjects being an organic unity in Gods sight.Dr. A. B. Bruce.
Heb. 9:24. The Ascension.Into heaven itself. We celebrate on this day the foundation, or rather the first manifestation to the world, of a great kingdom, of which our Lord is the supreme Head. He who was a perfect Man, the Exemplar of all goodness, at His departure was only removed from us in respect of sensible presence, and did not cease to be connected with us; He was transplanted to an invisible throne in heaven, where He reigns over us now, the King both of the living and the dead. He reigns over the Church triumphant. He reigns over this world below in which man still struggles with temptation and sin. What ought to be our feelings who know that our Lord and God, who reigns in heaven, is man toothat He is man now, and will be for ever in the fulness of glorified human nature? Different feelings possess us as we contemplate this glorified human nature in Christ our Judge, or our Intercessor. How would great numbers of men who follow their wills in this world, pursue through life an avaricious and selfish scheme, give all the strength of their faculties to gain worldly ends, but who do it all under a specious outside, and have explanations and justifications of their own conduct to themselves, feel if they knew that they had to undergo an examination and an estimate from a very wise, sagacious, and discerning man here, in this world? Would they not immediately be in a state of the most painful fear and apprehension? The Man Christ Jesus now scrutinises these men. However we may fear the countenance of man, we cannot escape being judged by One who is man. What a motive this ought to be to us to examine ourselves, to be true to ourselves, not to tamper with our own consciences, not to cloak our sins, not to dissemble and walk in crooked ways! But we also celebrate the entrance into heaven of our Mediator, Intercessor, and Advocate. He sits there as High Priest to present to the Father His own atonement and sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. He thus sits as High Priest and Mediator between God and man because He is man. He who is man could plead for man. It is our Lords supreme place in the universe now, and His reign now in the worlds visible and invisible, which we commemorate in His ascension. We are specially told in Scripture never to think of our Lord as having gone away and left His Church, but always to think of Him as now reigning, now occupying His throne in heaven, and from thence ruling over all. This day especially puts before us our Lord in His human nature, because it was in that He ascended up to heaven. As Judge, He sees into all hearts; as Intercessor, He pleads our cause.J. B. Mozley, D.D.
Heb. 9:27. The Death-law for Humanity.It is appointed unto men once to die. In this man does but take rank with the animals, and share natural conditions with them. The law of creation is that the living things, vegetable and animal, shall have possession of the earth in a constant succession, no one creature holding possession long, but producing its successor, and then itself passing away in what is called death. So far as man is an animal, there is nothing to be said. It would be a woe for creation if man broke into the natural order as an exception. What has to be seriously considered isHow does the death-law affect man as a moral being, a being into whom is breathed a Divine life? This subject demands a treatise, and it can receive but a hint. At first sight we incline to think that God might have arrested the death-law, and given man an immortality on earth, in which he might grow into moral perfection. The reader must think out how certainly, for various reasons, moral man could never have reached moral perfection here on earth. The death certainty and uncertainty are the mightiest moral forces acting on man.
Heb. 9:28. Christ bearing the Sins of Transgressors.In what sense or manner is it that Christ bears the sins of the world? They were not put upon Him, or transferred to Him, so as to be His? That is impossible. Guilt is a matter so strictly and eternally personal, that nobody can be in it but the transgressor himself to whom it belongs. Apart from him it is nothing. Christ does not bear our sins in the sense that He bears our punishment. Everlasting justice forbids any such commutation of places in punishment. It is not conceivable that Christ bears our sin, in the sense that the abhorrence of God to our sin is laid upon Him, and expressed through and by means of His sufferings. How can God lay abhorrence upon what is not abhorrent? Christ, in bearing the sins of transgressors, simply fulfils principles of duty or holiness that are common to all moral beings, and does it as being obliged by those principles. If there is any fundamental truth in morals, it is that there is no superlative kind of merit or excellence; that so far as kind is concerned, the same kind is for us all, and there is no other. We are not then to look for some artificial, theologically contrived, never before heard of kind of good in the bearing of sins, but simply to look after what lies in the first principles of religious love and devotion, as related to the conduct of all.
I. A general answer is thisthat Christ bears the sins of the world in a certain representative sense, analogous to that in which the priests and the sacrifices of the former altar-service bore the sins of the people worshipping. The phrase, he shall bear his sin, or bear his iniquity, when applied to the priests and sacrifices, cannot mean that they have the guilt actually put upon them: the words are to be taken in an accommodated, ritually formal sense, where the same thing is true representatively; the design being to let the people feel or believe that their sins are being taken away, as if put over upon the priests or upon the head of the victims. When the iniquities of Israel were put upon the head of their scape-goat, and he was driven out into the desert, they knew not where, there was neither any sin upon the goat nor any punishment. The reality of the whole matter stood in what was representatively signified, viz. the removal and clearance of their sin.
II. A more particular statement of the subject-matter included under the general answer embraces three particular modes, or distinctly and rationally conceived methods, of bearing sin by Him in His mission as a Redeemer.
1. He bears the sin of the world, by that assumption which His love must needs make of it. Love puts every being, from the eternal God downwards, into the case of all wrong-doers, sufferers, and enemies, to assume their evil, and be concerned for them. Being love, it assumes their loss, danger, present suffering, suffering to be; all their want, sorrow, shame, and disorder; and goes into their case to restore and save. When it is said that Christ bare our sicknesses, it cannot mean that He literally bore the fevers, leprosies, etc., that He healed; it means that He took them upon His sympathy, bore them as a burden upon His compassionate love. In that sense, exactly, He assumed and bore the sins of the world. He took them on His love, and put Himself, by mighty throes of feeling, and sacrifice, and mortal passion, to the working out of their deliverance. Because the world in sin took hold of His feeling, was He able, in turn, to get hold of the feeling of the world, and become its true Deliverer and Saviour. In this fact lay embosomed the everlasting gospel. This must in no way be apprehended as if all meant was, that Christ came into such a life of sympathy and death of passion just to give us an example which we are to copy. Nothing could be more impotent or further from the truth. Giving and copying examples is too tame a matter to be conceived as making out a gospel.
2. It is another and equally true conception of the bearing of sins by Christ, that He is incarnated into the state of sin, including all the corporate woes of penalty or natural retribution under itwoes that infest the world, the body, and the social and political departments of human affairs. The curse, as a Scripture term, means that state of retributive disorder and disjunction that follows, under natural laws, the outbreak of sin. When Christ comes down into the world, to be incarnate in it and do His work of love, He enters Himself into its corporate evils, and takes them just as they are. His body, as being born in the flesh, has the mortal maladies and temptations of the curse working subtlely in it. The jealousy of Herod is the curse before which He flies into Egypt. The chief priests, and the rabbins, and the council, and Pilate, and Herod, all combined against Him, only represent the corporate wrath, and wrong, and curse of the world.
3. Christ bears the sin of the world, in the sense that He bears, consentingly, the direct attacks of wrong or sin upon His person; doing it, of course, in but a few instances, such as may have been included in His comparatively short life, but showing in these few instances how all the human wrongs are related to His feeling, or would be if He suffered them all. And here again it is that He gets an amazing power, as a Redeemer, over the sin of the world. He did not come into the world to suffer these wrongs as an end, or to brave them by an ostentation of patience. Coming into the world as the incarnate Word of God, God manifest in the flesh, He bears the wrong-doing of sin, not deficiently, but as feeling after the sin; letting it see what wrong it has in its nature to do, when the Son of God comes to it ministering love and forgiveness. When the sin found such a Being, even the incarnate Word of the Father, taking its blows in such patience, and dying under the blows, how dreadful the recoil of feeling it suffered! How wild, and weak, and low was it made to appear in its own sight. Thus it was that, in His bearing of sin upon the cross, Christ broke it down for ever. That death of His was great in power, not because He bore it, but because He was in the work of Gods love, and bore it on His way, unable to be diverted from His end by that or any other death. In just that manner and degree it was in His heart to bear sin.Horace Bushnell, D.D.
Christs Second Appearing.Shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for Him, unto salvation. Some care is necessary if we are to see why, and for what purpose, the writer introduced this reference to our Lords second appearing. Moses Stuart helps us by translating, Shall make His appearance a second time, without a sin-offering, for the salvation of those who wait for Him. Having died once for sin, Jesus will never repeat His sacrifice, and there can be no possible reason why He should. When He comes again it will be for another purpose, even to bestow rewards on those who trust in Him, and wait for His coming. Then we are left to consider what sort of a coming it must be which distributes rewards to His faithful ones, whose life-stories get completed at all sorts of times through all the Christian ages. It sets us upon serious thought how it is that the martyrs of the first age can be made to wait for their reward until Christ shall come again, in some material way, in some wondrous day that is yet to dawn. And it is puzzling to think how a bodily appearance of Christ, with temporal rewards, can possibly meet the needs of redeemed souls who have, for long ages, been in the spiritual world as spiritual beings. It is evident that our apprehensions of the second coming of Christ need to be reconsidered, and need to be spiritualised. There can be no doubt that the early Christian disciples and Christian teachers anticipated the bodily reappearance of Christ in their time. If they were right in that anticipation, then Jesus did come to earth again in bodily form before the last of His apostles died. But we have to face the fact, that He did not come again in any bodily form in those times, and He has never come in such form at any time since then. What can we do in face of this fact, but say that the disciples must have misunderstood His promise, and translated literally what He meant to be taken spiritually. The words which I speak unto you are spirit and are life. Christ does come again, and come with rewards. But He belongs to the spiritual world; His rewards are spiritual rewards; He gives them to spiritual men when they are free from the entanglements of the human body. He appears again to the soul in the moments of its freedomappears for perfecting its salvation.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
4.
Necessity and Adequacy of the Better Sacrifice. Heb. 9:23-28
Text
Heb. 9:23-28
Heb. 9:23 It was necessary therefore that the copies of the things in the heavens should be cleansed with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. Heb. 9:24 For Christ entered not into a Holy Place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us: Heb. 9:25 nor yet that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest entereth into the Holy Place year by year with blood not His own; Heb. 9:26 else must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once at the end of the ages hath He been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, Heb. 9:27 And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment; Heb. 9:28 so Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for Him, unto salvation.
Paraphrase
Heb. 9:23 Seeing God would admit sinners into heaven without shedding the blood of His Son, to make the Israelites sensible of this, it was necessary that the tabernacles, the representations of the holy places in the heavens, (see Chap. Heb. 9:1, note 2), should be annually cleansed, that is, opened to the priests and people, by the sacrifices of bulls and goats, as types of the sacrifice of Christ; but the heavenly holy places themselves, by a sacrifice more effectual than these.
Heb. 9:24 Therefore Christ, our High Priest, hath not entered with the sacrifice of His crucified body (Heb. 10:10.) into the holy places made with the hands of men, the images of the true holy places; but into heaven itself, now to appear with that sacrifice before the manifestation of the Divine Presence, to officiate as the High Priest of these holy places on our account.
Heb. 9:25 Though it was necessary that Christ should open heaven to us by offering the sacrifice of Himself, it was not necessary that He should offer Himself often in the heavenly holy places for that purpose, as the high priest entereth into the earthly holy places every year with other blood than His own;
Heb. 9:26 For He must often have suffered death on earth, since the beginning of the world: But that this was not necessary, appeareth from the fact itself, for now once, at the conclusion of the Mosaic dispensation, Christ hath been manifested in the flesh, to abolish the Levitical sin-offering by the sacrifice of Himself.
Heb. 9:27 And, for as much as it is appointed by God, that men shall die but once as the punishment of the sin of the first man, and that, after death, every one shall be judged and punished but once for his own sins.
Heb. 9:28 Even so Christ, being once offered in order to carry away the guilt of the sins of many, justice required no more sin-offering for them: and therefore He will, to them who wait for Him, appear a second time on earth, without dying as a sin-offering, in order, as their King and Judge, to bestow on them salvation.
Comment
It was necessary therefore
The necessity is found only in the type. If the old is to picture the new, then cleansing is necessary.
that the copies of the things in the heavens
Perhaps the church is referred to. It was bought with blood. Act. 20:28 : . . . feed the church of the Lord which He purchased with His own blood.
a.
If the church is not meant here, then heaven is, and heaven then is cleansed.
b.
If the tabernacle is a picture of the church, then the church may be referred to.
The heavenly pattern was to be cleansed in a different way than the old.
Milligan: Copy is also translated pattern.
should be cleansed with these
McKnight says this refers to the cleansing of the tabernacle.
a.
See Lev. 16:16-18 where atonement is made for the Holy Place.
b.
This made it ceremonially prepared for the worship services. The copies, or pattern, were made ceremonially clean to picture a pure church and a pure heaven.
but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these
Milligan says perhaps because of the sins of angels, Heaven itself must be cleansed.
Heavenly things do not necessarily have to be in heaven. Milligan: The heavenly things refers to both the church on earth and heaven itself. The church is a heavenly thing, the kingdom of heaven, so why believe he is talking about heaven itself?
Why would heaven need to be cleansed?
a.
Milligan says: Take this as a matter of faith, for we cannot give a satisfying answer.
For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true, but into heaven itself now to appear before the face of God for us
Does heaven have a tabernacle?
a.
Yes, according to Rev. 11:19.
So Heb. 9:23 may refer to heaven.
Is heaven in need of cleansing?
a.
We would first answer no, for God does not dwell where sin is.
b.
Our answer is to be qualified, however. See Job. 15:15; Job. 25:5.
The important part of the verse for us is expressed in now to appear before the face of God for us.
a.
The cleansing of heaven may not be clear, but this surely is.
b.
Christ is before God for us.
nor yet that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place year by year with blood not of his own
Christs one sacrifice is contrasted with old covenant often. Christ entered once with His own blood. That one time is sufficient.
else must He often have suffered
The sacrifice of Jesus is necessary for atonement, but it comes in the midst of the generations of man. A constant sacrifice of Jesus is not needful when one brings absolute forgiveness
since the foundation of the world.
He was the Lamb. Rev. 13:8. His blood is still considered as in the act of being continually poured out.
but now once at the end of the ages
The conclusion of the Jewish dispensation is referred to. At the end of an age is sufficient, as much so as if it had taken place before or during the age. Some understand this to be future.
hath He been manifested to put away sin
Clarke says he was manifested to abolish sin offerings. This ended the Mosaic laws. The sin offering ceased, as foretold by Dan. 9:24. Others opinion:
a.
It refers to the putting away of the guilt, power, and being of sins from the souls of believers.
b.
Of course, sin offerings are ended, but to put away sin was the real purpose.
by the sacrifice of Himself
No blood of animals is involved here. God gave, but Christ came to offer Himself. Compare Heb. 2:14 for the importance of this verse.
it is appointed unto man once to die
All are under the decree, Dust thou are and unto dust shalt thou return. Gen. 3:19. Death and judgment are the appointments which the ungodly ought to dread.
a.
There are exceptions to the sentence of death: Enoch, Elijah, those persons who are alive at His coming. See 1Th. 4:13-18.
Man makes the second-death appointment by his choice to live in sin.
and after this Cometh judgment
It is death once and judgment once, no second chance and no transmigration of the soul. No purgatory is alluded to here.
a.
A persons true character has been revealed while on this earth, and nothing can be done to change it after death.
b.
The rich man found out that nothing could be done, for a gulf is fixed. Judgment discussed: Joh. 5:28-29; Rev. 20:11-15.
so Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many
Isa. 53:4-6 : Jehovah hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Our sin is borne by the Christ.
a.
This gives us peace.
b.
This gives us remission of sins.
shall appear a second time
He shall come out of the Holy of Holies
a.
1Th. 4:16.
b.
Act. 1:11.
Christs appearance this time will be that of a victor, and not a slain lamb.
apart from sin
He will not come then bearing the sins of the people. He will come as Saviour and Judge. All men shall then see. He is the Way, Truth, and Life.
to them that wait for Him
This is one difference between the godly and the unsaved.
a.
1Th. 1:9 : How ye turned unto God from idols to serve a living and true God.
b.
1Th. 1:10 : And to wait for His Son from heaven, Whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, Who delivereth us from the wrath to come.
Them that waitFor what do we wait?
a.
2Pe. 3:13 : We look for new heavens and a new earth.
unto salvation
b.
2Ti. 4:8 : Unto all them that love His appearing.
c.
2Pe. 3:17.
This will be the final experience of the Christian, We talked about being saved now, but at His coming, salvation will be ours, The experience of the reward is referred to here.
Special Study On Heb. 9:27
Judgment: Krisis
Often in the New Testament the word judgment ethically means:
(1)
To decide, give a verdict, declare an opinion: Krino. Luk. 11:42; Act. 15:19.
(2)
To investigate, scrutinize, Anakrino: 1Co. 2:15; 1Co. 4:3.
(3)
To discriminate, distinguish: Diakrino. 1Co. 11:31; 1Co. 14:29.
Since Gods judgments are declarations of His divine justice with His own condemnations, justice, condemnation, and judgment sometimes are all the same, Cf. Rom. 5:16.
In Joh. 5:29 we read of the resurrection of judgment, which is also translated damnation.
The last judgment may be thought of as an act when God interposes into human history directly to bring this present course of the world to an end, and determines the eternal fate of human beings and places them in surroundings which fit their spiritual condition.
We have a different idea in Rom. 14:10 and 2Co. 5:10, where we are told that we must appear before the judgment seat (bema) of Christ. In Heb. 10:30 we read that God will judge His peoplethe word is Krinomeaning to give a verdict. He will do the same for the adulterers, according to Heb. 13:4.
The word krisis, translated judgment, is often used in the Word of God.
Matthew uses the word often in speaking of judgment, such as, the men of Ninevah will rise up in the day of judgment; the queen of the south rising up in judgment. Mat. 12:41-42.
The same word is used in Heb. 9:27, . . . once to die, and after this cometh judgment. Also Heb. 10:27.
1Jn. 4:17 speaks of having boldness in the day of judgment.
In 1Pe. 4:17, we read that judgment must begin at the house of God. The word is Krima. It is the same word as in Mat. 7:2, With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged.
In 1Co. 4:4, Paul says, He that judgeth me is the Lord.Anakrino.
This verse, Heb. 9:27, does not leave room for transmigration of the soul, purgatory, or repentance.
When the body returns to dust and man has his appointment, his death sentence or his commendation is fixed.
Study Questions
1652.
What was necessary as expressed in Heb. 9:23?
1653.
What is meant by copies of the things in the heavens?
1654.
Is copies referring to sacrifice or tabernacle or both?
1655.
Was the tabernacle a copy of something in heaven?
1656.
Was heaven cleansed? If so, how?
1657.
Could it mean that He simply entered heaven with His blood?
1658.
What is referred to by the word these?
1659.
If the tabernacle was a type of the church, and it was cleansed, what should we expect of the church?
1660.
Do you know of any dirty churches?
1661.
What will cleanse the church?
1662.
Does heaven have to be cleansed? Cf. Job. 15:15 and Job. 25:5.
1663.
Does heavenly refer to a place or a kind of things?
1664.
If the church and the kingdom of God are the same, could it be considered the heavenly things referred to?
1665.
If heaven had to be cleansed, how could it have been cleansed by Christs blood when it was shed on earth?
1666.
This verse teaches that Christ entered a holy place. Does heaven have a tabernacle? Cf. Rev. 11:19.
1667.
What is meant by appear before the face of God?
1668.
Why is He before the face of God?
1669.
How may we harmonize this with other passages where Christ is seated at the right hand of God?
1670.
How often does Christ offer Himself?
1671.
How often does Christ enter the Holy Place?
1672.
What is meant by blood not of His own?
1673.
Why did other priests have to offer blood often?
1674.
Why does Jesus not need other blood?
1675.
What is meant by Since the foundation of the world? Cf. Mat. 13:35; Mat. 25:34; Rev. 13:8.
1676.
Compare Rev. 13:8 in various translations.
1677.
Can it be true that Jesus was slain from the foundation of the world?
1678.
What is meant by end of the ages?
1679.
Discuss the word manifested.
1680.
What is meant by put away sin?
1681.
How did Jesus put sin away?
1682.
What appointment is referred to?
1683.
Does this mean that a date is set for us?
1684.
Name some who escaped that appointment.
1685.
Will others escape it? Cf. 1Th. 4:13-18.
1686.
How soon comes judgment after death?
1687.
Is there room for purgatory?
1688.
Can anything be done according to the story of the rich man and Lazarus?
1689.
What is meant by judgment?
1690.
Compare Joh. 5:28-29 and Rev. 20:11-15.
1691.
Is the Christian judged? Cf. Rom. 14:10; 2Co. 5:10; Heb. 10:30.
1692.
Does the next verse read as though we are judged?
1693.
Discuss the expression, bear the sins.
1694.
Discuss this subject in comparison to Isa. 53:4-6.
1695.
What is meant by appear a second time?
1696.
How will He appear in relationship to sin next time?
1697.
To whom will He appear?
1698.
What is meant by wait for Him?
1699.
Is waiting the kind of thing some have done by selling everything, then watching for Him to come at a given time?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(23) The patterns of things in the heavens.Rather, the tokens (Heb. 8:5) of the things in the heavens. In the first part of the verse a conclusion is drawn from the sacred history, which related the accomplishment of the divine will, and showed therefore what was necessary. But the real stress lies on the second part. The whole may be paraphrased thus: Whilst then it is necessary that what are but tokens of the things in the heavens should be cleansed with these things, it is necessary that the heavenly things themselves should be cleansed with better sacrifices than these. The meaning of these things might perhaps be found in Heb. 9:19 (the various instruments of purification), or in Heb. 9:13 (the two sin offerings there spoken of); but, from the prominence given to repetition in the following verses, the plural seems rather to mean with these sacrifices repeated from time to time. The common thought in the two parts of the verse appears to be (as in Heb. 9:21) that everything relating to the covenant of God with sinful man must be brought under the symbol of expiation, without which he can have no part in that covenant. The heavenly things are not defiled by sin; but the true heavenly sanctuary cannot be entered by man, the new fellowship between God and man in heavenly places cannot be inaugurated, till the heavenly things themselves have been brought into association with the One atoning sacrifice for man.
Better sacrifices.Here again the use of the plural is remarkable. It seems to arise from the studious generality in the terms of this verse. To these things the natural antithesis is better sacrifices. That in the ministry of the true High Priest there was a presentation of but one sacrifice is not assumed here, because it is to be strongly brought out below (Heb. 9:25-26).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
23. Therefore Inference from the testamentary character of the ritual.
Patterns Rather, copies; for the heavenly is the pattern, and the earthly is its copy.
These Blood, sheddings.
Heavenly things Literally, the heavenlies; same word as in Eph 1:3, where see note. The phrase here is unequivocally local, signifying things and places in the highest heavens, as is absolutely shown by in the presence of God, Heb 9:24. See notes on 2Co 12:2; Eph 2:2 ; 1Th 4:17.
But it is a question among commentators how the heavenlies could be said to be purified by Christ’s sacrificial death. Alford, following Delitzsch, understands that the highest heavens, though intrinsically perfectly pure, are purified from the divine wrath towards sin, and so rendered approachable by man. But the idea of sanctifying, not from sin but from wrath, seems rather inadmissible.
We may note that Christ says, (Joh 14:2,) “I go to prepare a place for you.” So that some preparation of “a place,” either in fact or in effect, was to be made subsequently to his ascension. Now, to sanctify a thing, is to set it apart. Note on 1Th 5:23. So, ritually, inanimate things and places were sanctified or set apart for special divine uses. And this was, ritually, done by blood. Intrinsically, the place or thing could not be any holier after the rite than before it. It was only relatively, and by a relative setting apart or consecrating, that the thing or place could be holy holy for a certain occupancy or use. Now space or place, even in the superstellar regions, can have only this relative holiness. A locality can be holy only by holy uses and the holy things it may contain. By the sacrificial death and ascension of Christ he does prepare a place for us, making it relatively holy relatively a fit place for beings rendered holy by his sacrifice. Conceptually, the heaven of the redeemed, as well as the redeemed themselves, are rendered holy by the efficacy of the atonement. As the high priest was better, and the sanctuary better, so the sacrifices were better.
We have now, in Heb 9:24-28, three contrastive parallelisms.
1. Between the sanctuary entered by Christ and that of the human high priest, Heb 9:24.
2. Between the singleness of Christ’s sacrifice and the repetition of the Jewish sacrifices, Heb 9:25 and Heb 9:26.
3. Between Christ’s death and its results, and man’s death and its results. The summary of the whole is this. Christ enters not an earthly sanctuary, but the highest heavens, where is the real presence of God; he does this, not by repetition, but once for all; and as men once die and go to the judgment bar to be judged, so Christ once dies and goes to the judgment throne to judge.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘It was necessary therefore that the copies of the things in the heavens should be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.’
Thus the copies of heavenly things, all that was involved in the ritual of Israel, had to be cleansed with the shedding of blood. ‘It was necessary’ for it had all been connected with what was sinful, and with man in his sinfulness, and sinfulness required death. So if man was to approach God, the means by which he did so must be through the shedding of blood, as he must himself be cleansed by the shedding of blood, for all was connected with sin, and sin demands death. But, because they were only copies, the cleansing could also itself take place through copies and shadows. Those involved were only seeking to enter an earthly Tabernacle, and therefore earthly sacrifices sufficed. Once they sought to enter the heavens it would be a different matter. There was no way of entering Heaven by means of these.
‘But the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.’ And here is the crunch. Heavenly things could not be cleansed by the old sacrifices and rituals. They only sufficed on earth. Things which were to be in contact with heavenly places required deeper and better cleansing. The earthly sacrifices were of no avail there. However awesome their presentation, earthly sacrifices were useless for any purification connected with ‘the heavens’. For ‘heavenly things’ are a part of the greater Reality outside the reach of the mundane. This is not referring to Heaven itself, but to things connected with ‘the heavens’ (epourania), especially such as were transferred from earth.
But why should cleansing be necessary with regard to ‘heavenly things’? In Heb 12:23 two of such heavenly things are outlined and directly connected with the mediation of Jesus Christ and the sprinkling of blood (Heb 12:24), they are the ‘church of the Firstborn’, and ‘the spirits of just men made perfect’. Without the blood of Jesus they could not have entered the heavenlies. For all who would enter Heaven from earth require such cleansing, and it was only because of such cleansing that they were able to enter into the presence of God. The copies could be cleansed with animal blood, but not these. Anything earthly which would enter the heavenly sphere required a better sacrifice, a fuller and more complete sacrifice. To enter Heaven there had to be inward cleansing as well as outward.
And it is indeed because we have experienced such cleansing that we can even now at the present time enjoy lives in heavenly places (epourania) (Eph 1:3; Eph 2:6). Those who would now in Christ enter ‘the age to come’, and come under the Heavenly Rule of God, and into enjoyment of the Spirit, can only do so because of the shedding of His blood, which not only purifies us but enables us to renew and retain such purity (1Jn 1:7) as we live in heavenly places (Eph 2:6, compare Heb 1:3) where our citizenship lies (Php 3:20), looking not at the things which are seen but at the things that are unseen (2Co 4:18).
Besides, there is also spiritual wickedness in heavenly places, though of course not in Heaven itself. That comes out in Eph 6:12. That too had had to be dealt with at the cross (Col 2:15). That also was defeated by the shedding of His blood, and the cleansing made as a result, for in the end all has to have been made clean either by blood or by fire. So in mind here in the reference to ‘the heavenlies’ is the spiritual sphere that we enter when we become Christians which is a part of ‘the heavenlies’, and where the evil forces of the Enemy carry out their main wickedness. Cleansing in that spiritual sphere requires the sprinkling of the blood of Christ. And that cleansing of the heavenlies too is necessary, for all does finally have to be purified, and earthly sacrifices are not enough to purify these heavenly places.
‘With better sacrifices than these.’ Note the plural. Yet we have been told that all was in fact cleansed by the one sacrifice. Why then the plural? Why not ‘a better sacrifice’? The writer possibly has in mind that that the one sacrifice included many sacrifices; there was His humbling of Himself to come into a sinful world, there was His persecution and tribulation within that world, and there were His final sufferings at the cross. All came together in that one sacrifice. Alternately it may be a plural of intensity speaking of something which outdid all other sacrifices, the plural bearing in mind the multiplicity of what it is contrasted with. Just to speak of ‘a better sacrifice’ may have been seen as limiting the comparison. By using the plural he demonstrates that the sacrifice of Jesus combines in itself the equivalent of all sacrifices. His sacrifice of Himself was better than all the sacrifices put together.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Christ’s Sacrifice was Once for All Heb 9:23 to Heb 10:18 explains how the sacrifice of Jesus Christ was once for all.
Heb 9:23 Comments The Tabernacle of Moses was built after the pattern of things in Heaven. It was necessary that they be sanctified by the sprinkling of blood, as described in Heb 9:18-22. The blood sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ is the “better sacrifice” that was necessary in Heaven itself.
Heb 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die” – Comments – It does not say that each individual man must die, but of mankind in general. It seems that some men did not die, such as Enoch, Elijah and those in the coming rapture. They did not experience mortal death. In the rapture, we will be changed in the twinkling of the eye.
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Heb 9:28
“without sin unto salvation” – Comments The phrase “without sin unto salvation” refers to Jesus Christ and means that He is our Great Priest who is without sin, unlike the Levites who must make atonement for themselves as well as the sins of the people. He is not coming a second time for the purpose of bearing the sins of mankind; but rather, He now comes to bring us into the completion of our salvation.
Heb 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
Heb 10:1
For example, in the ministry of the temple and the worship of God, the procedures of offering the burnt offerings were a way we offer ourselves to God. It represented a way that we have to deal with sin through the shedding of blood. The shewbread represent the words of our Lord Jesus. His Word is our bread of life. It is to be taken and eaten, or hid in our hearts. The mercy seat is a figure of how we enter into God’s presence. The Mosaic laws of daily conduct should be fulfilled through loving our neighbors.
For example, the prophet Zechariah predicts a time in the future when Israel and the Church will keep the Feast of Tabernacles (Zec 14:16-19).
Zec 14:16-19, “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.”
Heb 10:1 “and not the very image of the things” Comments – The law and its ministry were not the exact way things were to be done. The Law was a figure, or a foreshadowing of future events.
Heb 10:1 “can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect” – Comments Under the Mosaic Law, there were morning and evening sacrifices, constant trespass, sin, burnt, thanksgiving offerings, festival offering and numerous other ministries. These took place “year by year continually.” The repetition of these sacrifices testifies to their ineffectiveness to deal with man’s sinful nature.
Heb 10:1 implies that through Jesus’ perfection and sacrifice for sins (Heb 2:10; Heb 5:9; Heb 7:28) we are made perfect, which the author states in Heb 10:14, “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” The word “perfect” describes the condition of man’s spirit when he is born again. Heb 12:23 says “and to the spirits of just men made perfect.” Col 2:10 says, “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:”
Heb 12:23, “To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,”
We are also becoming mature in the sense that we are developing in the ways of God. That is, our minds and bodies are becoming conformed to the image of Christ day by day. Eph 4:11-13 says that we are, “cominginto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” That is, we become Christ-like, more like Jesus. This is what God intended us to be in the Garden of Eden. Therefore, Heb 6:1 says, “let us go on to perfection.” However, Heb 10:1 is placing emphasis upon the completed work of Calvary, so that it states our spirits are now complete in Christ Jesus.
Heb 10:1 Comments – The Law could not make anyone perfect, because no one was able to fulfill it (Rom 8:3), until Jesus Christ came and fulfilled the Law (Gal 3:19). The Law simply revealed man’s depravity (Rom 3:20; Rom 5:20; Rom 7:5; Rom 7:7; Rom 7:9). The blood of sacrificial animals was insufficient to cleanse our sins and conscience (Heb 10:4)
1. Heb 10:4, “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins .”
2. The passions of sin, which are revealed by the law, worked in our members bringing death (see Rom 7:5; Rom 7:7):
Rom 7:9, “For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died .”
3. Rom 3:20, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin .”
4. Rom 5:20, “Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound . But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:”
5. Rom 7:7, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.”
6. Rom 8:3, “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh , God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:”
7. Gal 3:19, “ Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions , till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.”
Heb 10:2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
Heb 10:2
Heb 9:14, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God ?”
Heb 10:22, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience , and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Heb 13:18, “Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience , in all things willing to live honestly.”
Heb 9:9, “Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience ;”
Heb 10:3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
Heb 10:3
Heb 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
Heb 10:4
Rom 3:25, “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;”
Heb 10:5-7 Old Testament Quotes in the New Testament The author of Hebrews quotes two passages from the Old Testament within this chapter which give scriptural support for the fact that the Mosaic Law under the old covenant has been done away with and a new covenant has been established through Christ Jesus This first quote is taken from Psa 40:6-8.
Psa 40:6-8, “Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.”
The author will soon quote Jer 31:33-34 in Heb 10:16-17 as a second witness to this great revelation of a new covenant.
Jer 31:33-34, “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Heb 10:5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
Heb 10:6 Heb 10:7 Heb 10:7
Comments The phrase “in the volume of the book” means, “in the roll of the book,” meaning the entire scroll. Note
Eze 2:9, “And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;”
Heb 10:7 Comments Jesus Christ became familiar with the biblical prophecies concerning His life, passion, resurrection and exaltation, as He testifies in Luk 24:44. Jesus made many references to the Old Testament concerning His life while teaching His disciples.
Heb 10:8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
Heb 10:9 Heb 10:9
Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Heb 10:10
Luk 22:42, “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”
“we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ” Comments – Because we are sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ, we are now called “saints” in the Pauline epistles.
“once for all” Comments – A comment that Jesus made at the Last Supper refers to this great truth that His blood cleanses us once for all. He told the disciples that they did not need to wash all over except their feet only (Joh 13:10). This means that His blood would do away with all of their past sins and their newly committed sins could be dealt with by confessing them (1Jn 1:9). His blood purges our guilty consciences from dead works and frees us to serve the living God (Heb 9:13-14).
Joh 13:10, “Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet , but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.”
1Jn 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Heb 9:13-14, “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
Heb 10:11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
Heb 10:12 Heb 10:13 Heb 10:12-13
Heb 1:13, “But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?”
Heb 10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Heb 10:14
Heb 12:23, “To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,”
2Pe 1:3, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:”
There are other verses that discuss the perfection and sanctification of the believer. He is a new creation, which refers to the rebirth of the spirit of man (2Co 5:17). He is a new man, because the old man died, that is to say, the spirit of man was born again and the old spirit died (Eph 5:17). For this reason, we can stand on earth and be as Jesus is in regards to our inner man. [240]
[240] Andrew Wommack, “Momentary Redemption,” in “Hebrew Highlights,” [on-line]: accessed 4 June 2011; available from http://www.awmi.net/extra/audio/1061; Internet.
2Co 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Eph 4:24, “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
1Jn 4:17, “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.”
Heb 10:15-17 Old Testament Quotes in the New Testament The author of Hebrews now provides a second witness from the Old Testament regarding the prediction of a new covenant and a doing away with the old in Heb 10:15-17. The author interprets this passage out of Jer 31:33-34 in order to bring out the main point of this passage of Scripture, which is that the one-time sacrifice of Jesus for our sins is to make us perfect. Thus, the verse following this passage (Heb 10:18) says, “no more offering for sin.”
Jer 31:33-34, “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts ; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more .”
Heb 10:15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
Heb 10:16 Heb 10:16
Joh 14:17, “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
Heb 10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Heb 10:17
Heb 10:17 Scripture References – Note similar verses:
Psa 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
Isa 43:25, “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”
Jer 31:34, “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Jer 50:20, “In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.”
Mic 7:18, “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.”
Heb 10:18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
Heb 10:18
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
The demands of the new covenant satisfied by Christ’s perfect sacrifice:
v. 23. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
v. 24. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
v. 25. nor yet that he should offer Himself often, as the high priest entereth into the Holy Place every year with the blood of others;
v. 26. for then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world; but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
v. 27. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the Judgment,
v. 28. so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Here the necessity of cleansing the heavenly sanctuary, as well as the efficiency and the finality of Christ’s one sacrifice, is emphasized. Of the first point the author saps: It was necessary, then, that the copies of the things in the heavens be cleansed by these, but the heavenly things themselves by better sacrifices than these. The copies, or patterns, of the heavenly things, the Tabernacle and its appointments, had to be cleansed and consecrated with the blood of the sacrificial animals. That was the ordinance of God, and this form of purification was sufficient SO long as things of this world mere concerned. For the Tabernacle with all it contained, being only a type and shadow of heavenly things, more than this purification was not needed. But it is different with the heavenly sanctuary itself; for its holiness is so immeasurably elevated above that of anything on earth that it required a more excellent and more perfect sacrifice, lest the influence of human sin and weakness defile this divine shrine, make the entrance into its holy portals impossible. In themselves things heavenly need no cleansing, but as entered upon by sinful men they need it.
The purification is now explained: For not has Christ entered into the holy places made with hands, the mere counterparts of the genuine, but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God in our behalf. Christ, our High Priest, is in every way elevated far above the high priests of the Old Testament. For, unlike them, He did not enter into the sanctuary, into the Most Holy Place of the earthly Tabernacle, made by the hands of men, this being a mere type, figure, or counterpart of the real Holy Place in heaven. Into heaven itself, the true sanctuary, Christ has entered; by the shedding of His holy blood He laid open the entrance to the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle above. And it is not a mere earthly mercy-seat before which He appeared, at a place where the glory of the Lord was revealed only occasionally, to commune with His servants, but it is the throne of glory itself where He is now standing, in the very presence of the Lord of glory. All this He did in our behalf, as our Mediator, the Mediator of the new and better covenant.
This fact of Christ’s vicarious sacrifice is emphasized also from another side: Nor that He might offer Himself often, just as the high priest entered the Most Holy Place yearly with strange blood; for in that case He would have been obliged often to suffer since the foundation of the world; now, however, once, at the end of the world periods, has He been manifested for the abolition of sin through His sacrifice. The sacrifice which Christ made for us differed from that made by the Jewish high priests year after year, on the great Day of Atonement, also in this respect, that their offering had to be made repeatedly, had to be renewed every year, or the covenant would not stand. Like everything else that is performed by human beings, all the rites and ceremonies and sacrifices were incomplete and imperfect. And the high priests of old, in addition to this, performed the work of the atonement with, or in, strange blood, the blood of the offering being the instrument which enabled them to enter the sanctuary. But the sacrifice of blood not one’s own is necessarily imperfect. If the same thing held true in the case of Christ, then it would have been incumbent upon Him to suffer again and again since the creation of the world. If the entrance had always required repetition, then Jesus would have been obliged to be subject to periodical suffering and death. But now that Christ’s Passion and death is eternally efficacious, it was altogether sufficient for Him to appear now, at the consummation of the ages, in the fullness of the times, in the period of the world when all the types and prophecies of the Old Testament find their interpretation and fulfillment, in the period preceding the end of the world. Instead of making His sacrifice for every succeeding generation of men, He has made a single offering, this sacrifice being altogether sufficient to abolish and put away sin forever, because it consisted of His own body as the sacrificial victim. On the basis of Christ’s single sacrifice we are justified in saying that all is finished that was necessary for the salvation of the world.
To substantiate his statement that Christ’s sacrifice was once and for always, the inspired writer refers to the normal conditions of the death of men: And insomuch as it is fixed for men once to die, but after that the Judgment, so also Christ, being offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear the second time without sin to those that patiently expect Him unto salvation. It is a stern truth which the writer here uses to emphasize the point he wants to make. It is fixed, appointed, to men, to all men, once to die. That is a fact stated in Scripture and supported by the experience of the ages: mortal men must die. But death is not the end, death is not destruction; it is rather so that after death there comes the Judgment, when all men must appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, whether they be good or bad, 2Co 5:10. But just as the results of every man’s life are settled when he dies, thus the death of Christ settled the matter of sin and salvation. He was offered up as a sacrifice once, to bear the sins of many. That was the burden which Christ took upon Himself and bore, even to the death on the cross: the trespasses, the guilt, the punishment of many, of the entire human family. But just as certain as this fact is the other, that Christ will appear a second time, that He will return in glory to judge the quick and the dead. And when He does appear, visible to the eye, it will not be for the purpose of establishing a millennial kingdom here on earth, but of giving, transmitting, to those that have patiently waited for Him in faith, eternal salvation, of taking them up to the eternal mansions. See 2Ti 4:8. Thus Jesus Christ is the Mediator of a better covenant than that of the Old Testament. Thus may we put our firm trust in Him as our Savior.
Summary
In showing that the Old Testament cult is inferior to the perfection of Christ’s sacrifice, the inspired writer gives a description of the Tabernacle and its appointments, indicates how imperfect the ministry of the Old Testament priests was in comparison with the office of Christ, argues for the necessity of His death, proving, incidentally, that the demands of the new and better covenant are fully satisfied by Christ’s perfect sacrifice.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Heb 9:23. It was therefore necessary The sense stands thus: “It was necessary that these patterns of heavenly things, ch. Heb 8:5 should be purified with these sacrifices of calves, and goats, &c. but as the heavenly things themselves are unspeakably more noble and excellent, so if they are to be purified by sacrifices, the sacrifices must be more excellent and noble than those legal sacrifices were. Such a sacrifice is Christ, who, though but once offered, effectually answers this purpose.” It seems that the apostle, from speaking thus in the plural number in this verse, takes occasion, in the four last verses, to shew that this one sacrifice of Christ was all that was needful; whereby he in a manner guarded against that ill use which some, notwithstanding his caution, have made of his word. It may perhaps seem strange, that celestial things should be spoken of, as needing to be purified and cleansed; but it as to be considered, that as the sacred dwelling and the vessels were esteemed to be polluted by the Israelites, who in various degrees had access to them; so heaven, if the blood of Christ had not intervened, would have been as it were polluted by the entrance of those who went into it, and had been formerly sinners, had it been possible for them to enter without his sacrifice; butthat would have been absolutely impossible without the vicarious punishment unto death of the eternal Son of God in our human n
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Heb 9:23 . The first of the two statements dependent on ( ) is deduced as a necessary consequence from Heb 9:18-22 , while then the second statement ( . . .) is derived as a necessary postulate from the first, and in such manner a return is effected to the necessity for the death of Christ, already shown at Heb 9:16-17 , in order to set forth the same on a fresh side. The necessity of the first-mentioned fact of Heb 9:23 is evident from the norm instanced, which is of validity in the domain of the Mosaic law; the necessity of that last mentioned, from the difference between the Christian and the Judaic. The main thought, however, lies in the second half of the clause, to which the first forms logically only the bridge.
] sc . because blood is so necessary a means for expiation and consecration.
] it is then needful . To we have to supplement , not, with Faber Stapulensis, Ebrard, Bloomfield, Delitzsch, Alford, Moll, Kurtz, and others, . For although the author has only one special fact in mind in connection with both members of the sentence, yet, as is shown by the plural , he expresses himself universally ; because he is reasoning from the inner necessity, as this is presupposed by the state of the matter itself.
, . . .] that the copy, indeed, of that which is in heaven should be purified with these, but the heavenly place itself with better sacrifices than these, i.e. for the characteristically Judaic the means of expiation and consecration are necessarily determined in accordance with the norm specified in the Mosaic law; but since Judaic and Christian are distinguished from each other as the mere copy of the heavenly place and the heavenly place itself, so of necessity must the means of expiation and consecration in the Christian domain be a more excellent one than in the Judaic.
By and we have to understand neither the heavenly possessions (Seb. Schmidt, Wolf, Rambach, and others), nor yet the Christian Church and its members (Zeger, Estius, Corn. a Lapide, Calov, Bhme, Stengel, al .; comp. also Tholuck). Still less can these expressions denote: “that which, where God is essentially present, brings with it His relation to the Church, i.e. first , His dwelling with it, namely, in that the glorified human nature of Christ is the dwelling for the whole fulness of the divine nature; secondly , the human nature, in its consecration to God, in which Christ presents and offers it up to the Father; and thirdly , the place where God’s wrath against human sin meets with expiatory satisfaction, by which it is averted, thus Christ, who, as the propitiation for our sins, stands between the Church and its God “(Hofmann, Schriftbew . II. 1, 2 Aufl. p. 436 ff. [comp. also Owen]). Rather is the heavenly sanctuary specially meant thereby, as is evident from Heb 9:24 . For in Heb 9:24 the meaning of is supposed to be already known from Heb 9:23 ; inasmuch, namely, as is there almost accentless, while all the emphasis is laid upon the adjectives , etc. In accordance with this, too, is determined the meaning of as the earthly sanctuary , inasmuch as it was the imperfect imitation or copy of the former, as accordingly already, at Heb 8:5 , the Levitical sanctuary had been characterized as . The plural is placed, just because the author has already before his mind, in Heb 9:23 , the plural , Heb 9:24 . Thus, then, the first clause of Heb 9:23 has respect to the special fact already brought forward at Heb 9:21 , whereas the second clause receives its elucidation by means of the special fact of which mention is made at Heb 9:24 .
] by such things as these, i.e. by blood of slain animals, and similar means of purifying, which belong to the earthly sanctuary; to which general rubric, also, the ashes of the red heifer mentioned at Heb 9:13 , but not here coming under consideration, belong. With marvellous inversion of the sense, Paulus: “to be declared pure for these, i.e. the Israelites.”
] is passive . Arbitrarily is it taken as a middle by Heinrichs, who will have supplemented as object. Against this the tenor of the foregoing verse is in itself decisive. The notion of being purified is not, it is true, applicable to the second clause, . . . For the heavenly sanctuary is removed from contact with the sinful world; it has no need, therefore, of an expiation or purification. [94] We are warranted, however, in supplying in thought, without any hesitation, from , a kindred verb to the second member of the sentence, by the assuming of a zeugma. But since now, in accordance with that which precedes, the is an idea which entirely subordinates itself to the idea of the , Heb 9:18 , the former having only the design of the latter, we shall best extract from the notion of being purified , in the first clause, the notion of being consecrated to the service of God , for the second clause, understanding this consecration of the heavenly sanctuary of the opening up of the access to the same, effected through the blood of Christ (comp. Heb 10:19-20 ).
] The plural is chosen, although the author is thinking exclusively of the death of Christ, on account of the universal form of discourse, Heb 9:23 , as a plural of the category (de Wette). False the interpretation of Grotius and Stengel: in addition to the sacrificial death of Christ, the sufferings of believers, together with their prayers and works of love (Heb 13:15-16 ), are thought of; and in like manner Paulus: the sacrifices of Jesus and all Christians for the good which pertains to duty ; but false, also, the explanation of Beza: the fact is hinted at that the one sacrifice of Christ is instead of many .
On with the comparative, see at Heb 1:4 .
[94] Otherwise, indeed, do Delitzsch, Riehm ( Lehrbegr. des Hebrerbr . p. 542 ff.), Alford, Moll, and Kurtz decide. According to Delitzsch, the meaning of the author is: “The supra-terrestrial Holy of Holies, i.e. the uncreated eternal heaven of God, although unsullied light in itself, had need of a , in so far as the light of love towards mankind had there been, so to speak, out-glowed and eclipsed by the fire of wrath at that which was sinful; and the heavenly tabernacle, i.e. the place of His glorious self-manifestation in love, a self-manifestation for men and angels, had need of a , in so far as men had rendered this spot, from the beginning designed for them, too, inaccessible on account of sin, and thus had first to be transformed into the accessible place of manifestation of a God graciously disposed towards men. As well with regard to as with regard to , thus to . altogether, there was need of a taking away of the action of human sin upon it, and a taking away of the divine reaction against sin, the wrath, or, what is the same thing, a changing of the same into love.” [Similarly also Whitby, M‘Lean, and Stuart.] Not less far-fetched and forced upon the context is that which Bleek, following the precedent of Akersloot, regards as probable. According to this view, to which Woerner assents, an objective of the heavenly sanctuary, after the analogy of the passages Luk 10:18 , Joh 12:31 , Act 12:7-9 , was thought of, “in accordance with which Satan with his angels is, after the death and exaltation of the Saviour, cast forth out of heaven, and thus deprived of all influence which he might exert there as accuser of men in the presence of God, or for the destruction of the blessedness of the inhabitants of heaven.”
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
Heb 9:23-28 . If the earthly sanctuary needed to be cleansed and consecrated by such things as these, there was required of necessity for the dedication of the heavenly sanctuary a more excellent sacrifice. This Christ has presented in the end of the world by means of His sin-cancelling sacrificial death; and at His return, which is now to be expected for the salvation of those that hope in Him, no repetition of His sacrifice will be required.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
IV
The necessary, yet never repeated sacrificial death of Christ has introduced a perfectly satisfactory propitiation
Heb 9:23-28
23It was therefore necessary that the patterns [copies] of the things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24For Christ is not entered [did not enter] into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures [counterparts] of the true [genuine, ]; but into heaven itself, now to appear [to be manifested, ] in the presence of God 25for us: Nor yet [and not, ] that he should [may] offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with the blood of others: 26For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now [as it is, ] once in the end of the world [ages, ] hath he appeared [been manifested, ] 27to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself [by means of his sacrifice]. And as [in so much as ] it is appointed [reserved, ] unto men once to die, but after 28that the judgment: So [also]14 Christ was once [for all] offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
[Heb 9:23. , the copies indeed; or while the copies. something shown or exhibited under in subordination to, something else, whether as a pattern, or a copy; here clearly the latter; though perhaps it may be better to take as lessening, lowering down, the signification, thus faint sketch, delineation, outline.
Heb 9:24. ., for not into a sanctuary made with hands did Christ enter=for it was no sanctuary made with hands, into which, etc., the genuine, the archetypal. to be manifested, not simply to appear.
Heb 9:25. nor that he may (not might) offer himself.
Heb 9:26. = , since it were, would be, necessary for him frequently to suffer; logical as Heb 2:1,=he must frequently have suffered.* The meaning is not, with Del. and Alf., that His making repeated offerings now in the heavenly sanctuary, would necessitate His having previously frequently suffered on earth, inasmuch as each offering in the sanctuary presupposes a previous suffering on earth. This is a thought altogether too far-fetched for the scope of the passage. The writer argues, in my judgment, simply from the historical fact, or perhaps rather confirms his statement by a reference to the historical fact. If He were entered into the heavenly sanctuary, in order to make, as the high-priest did, repeated entrances into it, it would follow, as a logical conclusion, that there must have been a series of such acts in former ages. If, like the entrances of the Levitical high-priest, His entrance and presentation of Himself were of such a nature as to require repetition, then, of course, there should have been a series of sufferings and entrances in former times. But in contrast with that, and as showing the single and decisive character of His High-Priestly entrance, he has, in fact, ( ) been manifested but once, and that, once for all, at the consummation of the ages. , by His sacrifice=the sacrifice which He made. It was, indeed, a sacrifice of Himself, but this is not expressed in the text.
Heb 9:27. not simply as (, or ) but inasmuch as, assigning a ground or reason., it (lies away) is reserved for, not is appointed. for salvation is by some connected with the Part. . but by most better with , will appear for salvation.K.].
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Heb 9:23. It was necessary now, etc.The nature of the following verse renders it more desirable to supply (Ebr., Del.), than (Ln.). The are not the heavenly blessings (Seb. Schmidt, Ramb., and others); not the Christian Church (Chrys., Theod., Este, Lapid., Calov, Heubn. etc.); but the heavenly anctuary in contrast with its earthly copy made with hands. The plur. points not to the sufferings, prayers, and works of love of Christians, in common with the sacrificial death of Jesus (Grot., Paul.). It is the plural of kind, or class. But to transform purification into consecration (Bl., Ln., De W., etc.) is totally unallowable, as is also the substituting in the place of the heavenly sanctuary, the men who belong to the New Test. economy (Thom. Aqu., Beng., Menk., Thol., etc.). But neither is the cleansing in question an actual purging of heaven by the casting out of Satan, which Akersloot would refer to Luk 10:18, Joh 12:31; while Bleek would explain in accordance with Rev 12:7-9. The context demands an expiatory purification, i.e., a doing away of the influence of human sin upon the heavenly sanctuary (Stier, Hofm., Del., Riehm, Alf.).
Heb 9:24. For not into a sanctuary made with hands, etc.The author is not assigning the ground why there is now need of better sacrifices for the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary (Hofm.), nor giving the proof that Christ has actually entered into the heavenly sanctuary, (Bl., Ln.,) nor illustrating the contrast between the earthly and the heavenly sanctuary (Ebr.), nor is he demonstrating the necessity of better offerings for the heavenly world from the reality of the one which has been furnished and offered to God (Del.). He is confirming the declaration of the previous verse, that the purification argued as necessary, has been actually accomplished. Hofm. now concedes, that the Infin. Aor. constitutes no ground of objection (Win. 44; Mat 20:26; 1Pe 4:2) to our understanding the of the permanent presence of Christ before the unveiled face of God in heaven. The position of the at the end of the clause, throws intentional and weighty emphasis upon the soteriological significance of this , a significance referable in its purpose to the persons of the readers. This word expresses (Act 24:1) strikingly the reciprocal and unveiled face to face manifestation of God and Christ, and is found in no corresponding sense among the technical expressions of the old covenant.
Heb 9:25.May offer himself, etc.The refers not to Christs offering Himself on earth. In that case it were virtually =, Heb 9:26, which, as Heb 13:12, is to be understood of the suffering of death. But the offering of the blood in the heavenly all-holy presupposes the slaying of the victim outside of the Adyton, and is brought about by the entrance of the high-priest, of whom after his entrance, was required a two-fold offering of different kinds of blood (Heb 9:7), as his entrance was preceded by the slaughter of two different victims. To this refer the expressions of our passage, in which to avoid a misapprehension of the plur. , used in Heb 9:23, the idea is repelled that in the heavenly all-holy, whither Christ has entered, not in alien but in His own blood, He has now to offer Himself at repeated times. Had repeated offerings of Himself been the purpose of His entrance into heaven, which assuredly is in every case to be conceived of as but a single one (Schlicht. and Bhme, Bl., Hofm., Del.), then must also a have preceded, and that indeed from the foundation of the world, i.e., Christ would have been obliged to suffer just as many times before His entrance to God, as He now was repeatedly to offer Himself before God (Hofm., Del., Alf.). But this would contradict the fact that Christ has become man, not at the beginning, but at the end of the world. This explanation is far more probable than the common one that Christ would otherwise have been obliged every time to return into the world.
[I do not see much to choose between the two explanations: viz., that which urges the singleness of Christs entrance and offering in the heavenly sanctuary, on the ground that otherwise He would have had repeatedly to descend and suffer, inasmuch as every implied a previous , and that which urges the singleness of His , on the ground that otherwise He must have gone through a series of sacrificial sufferings while remaining on earth, in order to accumulate, as it were, a stock of sacrificial suffering, on the strength of which He might make an equal number of priestly offerings in the heavenly sanctuary. Or rather it seems to me that the latter view, though supported by Del., Alf., and Moll, is much the harsher and more improbable of the two. For although it is undoubtedly true, as Del. urges, that the author takes his stand on the assumption of only a single presentation of Christ in heaven, yet it is equally true that this is based on the actually existing state of facts, viz., on the singleness of Christs sacrificial suffering on earth. For it surely is not more monstrous to assume a series of descents to earth and rentrances into heaven after suffering death, than to assume a series of deaths continuously occurring on earth to be followed subsequently by as many successive high-priestly entrances into the heavenly sanctuary. The latter seems to me, considering the analogy of the Jewish rites, much the more unnatural of the two. In point of fact I do not believe that the writer had in mind precisely either of the above ideas, though that which he had comes much nearer to the first than the second. The question is not in his mind a question of the relation between a supposed series of priestly offerings in heaven, and a corresponding series of sufferings on earth. It is simply a logical deduction from a matter of fact. If Christs entrance into heaven were of the nature of the Jewish priests entrances into the Mosaic sanctuary, such, viz., as to involve a repetition of His entrances, and offerings from time to time, this must have led inevitably to, and manifested itself in, His repeated sufferings in the successive ages of the world. But there has been no such manifestation. He has, in fact, () appeared and suffered but once, and that at the very close of the old period, and when the former age is about to merge into the new. This fact is in itself decisive of the nature of His priesthood. It at once grows out of, and demonstrates the fact, that His priesthood, unlike that of the Levitical priests, is one in which one act of suffering on earth, and one priestly entrance into and offering in heaven, accomplish the whole work.K.].
The refers not to the appearance in heaven before God, (Grot., Schultz, etc.), but to the , 1Ti 3:16; 1Pe 1:20; 1Pe 5:4; 1Jn 2:28; 1Jn 3:5; 1Jn 3:8. The expression is in sense= Heb 1:1; and like the Pauline (1Co 10:11) , is a translation of the Heb. . The connection of the words with (Grot., Carpz., Bhme, Thol. etc.), is unnatural, since appears much rather as expressing the end of the manifestation of Christ than the means of that manifestation. (Del.). These words are thus to be closely connected with , which gives the object of Christs appearance on the worlds theatre of action, viz., the doing away, absolutely, and beyond the need of being supplemented with any second similar manifestation, of all that is sinful.
Heb 9:27. And inasmuch as it is reserved, etc. constitutes not, like , merely a comparison, but at the same time a reason, in this case for the fact that in Christ also, along with His death, the work of His first appearance on earth has been once for all completed, and admits no repetition; but that something corresponding to the judgment is still also in reference to Him to be looked for. This reason lies in His real assumption of human nature. The author for this reason also employs the Pass. , being offered, because in this comparison the sacrifice of Christ is regarded not as a voluntary offering, but as a suffering appointed to Him, as something befalling Him (Hofm.). We must therefore not, with Chrys., supply , by Himself. is understood by the Pesh., Chrys., c., Theoph., Michael., of the presenting and offering up of sins in sacrifice; by Luth., Schlicht., Grot., Bl., Hofm. (Schriftb. 1 Ed.), Ln., etc., of the taking them away=, Heb 10:4; by Hofm. in 2 Ed. of Schriftb., in its classic sense of bearing up under, sustaining, enduring them; by Jac. Cappell., Calov, Beng., etc., of bearing them to the cross, according to 1Pe 2:24; by August., Este, Seb. Schmidt, Bhme, De W., Bisp., Del., Riehm, Alf., of vicarious bearing, according to Isa 53:12, where it is said of the Servant of Jehovah: . This latter view, now also ably defended by Ebr. (Allg. Kirchenzeit., 1856, Nr. 116127) has specially in its favor the declaration that Christ, at His second coming will appear . Chrys., Theod., Grot, and others refer erroneously this latter expression to the redeemed, who will then be entirely perfected. It refers to the person of Christ. Even in His first appearance His person was sinless, and sin was not in Jesus in the form of concupiscentia, as maintained by Dippel, Menken, Irving. But it partly assailed Him in the form of temptation, Heb 4:15, partly lay upon Him in the form of punishment, 2Co 5:21. The expression stands in antithesis to the . . Thus in the main rightly c., Theophyl., Carpz., De W., Bisp., Hofm., Del. and others. We need not, however, for this reason take as sin-offering (J. Capp., Storr, etc.), or as punishment for sin (Klee, Thol., etc.), or (with Schultz) having to do with sin. Unauthorized alike by the language and by the fact, is the view of Theodor. Mops., Theodoret, Bl., that the phrase in question implies that there will then be no realm of evil and of sin which could require the work and agency of the reappearing Christ. A visible return is indicated by the , and it is characterized as the second appearance, because the appearances to the disciples, which took place after the resurrection and before the ascension, belong to the period of Christs first coming to earth. The reading either after or before (adopted by Lachm. after A. 31, 47, but in 1850 again expunged), is a gloss. Still less are we authorized to connect with (Primas., Camerar., Klee, Stein, etc.). It elongs to , and points to final deliverance from all misery.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. In the death of Christ that has been really fulfilled which the sprinkling of the sacred book and of the sacred vessels of the temple with blood, symbolically represented. The sanctuary originated in reference to human guilt and sin, but has been purified from the guilt of the general corruption, by the fact that the Son of God, who, by the establishment of the covenant with sinful men, has, although from pure grace, yet assumed the obligation of their ransom, has actually and all-sufficiently offered Himself as a vicarious offering.
2. By Jesus Christs single and unrepeated, yet all-sufficient offering of Himself, the guilty relations of collective humanity are objectively removed, at whatever time its members may live upon the earth; so that neither does a repeated presentation of Himself take place in heaven (which would presuppose a corresponding repetition of the sufferings of Christ, since the beginning of the world), nor is the second coming of the Messiah, which is in the certain future, for the purpose of a second vicarious suffering. By virtue of the true deity of the Saviour, His single offering is for ever sufficient; by virtue of His true humanity He is incapable of rendering it more than once.
3. The now of the manifestation of Christ on our behalf before the face of God in heaven, so that no veiling cloud intervenes, such as was in the Mosaic sanctuary, Lev 16:2, is the present period of salvation, which, as the closing period, lasts until the parousia, and has, as its condition and historical commencement, the appearance of Christ in the flesh with His single and final offering.
4. Christ has not merely entered, from love and compassion, into the fellowship of human suffering, but He has taken upon Himself the burden of human sin; and this burden, under which men were in danger of utterly succumbing, He has been able to lift from them in no other way than by voluntarily enduring for them the punishment of sins which they had deserved, and by His vicarious death taking it from all the guiltywho here, as Heb 2:10, are called many, not in the particularistic sense of an exclusion of some from salvation merely by virtue of the electing purpose of God, nor in reference to the failure of some to fulfil the condition of a participation in salvation, but, as Mat 20:28; Mat 26:28; Luk 22:20; Mar 14:34, with reference to the fact that the single offering of the one God-man, is forever efficacious for humanity in all its manifold members. To the application of the doctrine of vicarious suffering to the passage before us, it cannot, with Hofm., be objected, that an expiatory bearing of sin cannot be designated as the aim and object of His offering of Himself. With entire correctness Del. replies to the objection: Atonement for sin was not indeed the purpose of men in bringing upon Him this infliction; but might be none the less the purpose of God in subjecting Him to it, and his own in submitting to it.
5. The earlier opinion, still held by Heubner, that for individuals judgment follows immediately upon their death, but that after the resurrection follows the manifestation of the judgment in relation to all, cannot at least be deduced from our passage. The contemporaneousness of the judgment and of the second coming of Christ, follow clearly from Heb 10:25; Heb 10:37 ff.; and the decision according to which the lot of the one class is perdition () and that of the other , is mentioned Heb 10:38 ff., as a consequence of the coming of Christ. Nevertheless, when the Judge in our Epistle is expressly designated (Heb 10:30 ff; Heb 12:23; Heb 12:25; Heb 12:29; Heb 13:4) not Christ, but God is named, which might stand connected with the fact (D. Schultz) that God is the being that makes the enemies of Christ His footstool. Since, however, the glory and majesty of Christ, are elsewhere strongly emphasized in our Epistle, it might at first seem surprising that the judgment is no where expressly ascribed to Christ. From this, however, we may not with Bleek, deduce the inference that that Divine judgment which destroys the adversaries, precedes the parousia. This may, with Riehm, be more simply and satisfactorily explained, from the fact that the exalted Christ stood before the authors mind as a heavenly High-priest, and it was therefore entirely natural to regard as the object of His reappearance upon earth, merely the consummation of His high-priestly work, i.e., the complete salvation of believers, and on the other hand, to ascribe to God Himself the accompanying judgment, and the punishment of the adversaries.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
The appearance of Jesus Christ on earth terminates one, and opens another section of the history of the world.How does the entrance of Christ into heaven stand related to the object of His appearance on earth?The likeness and the unlikeness of the death of Jesus Christ, and of the dying of the children of men, 1, in their causes, 2, in their results.The divine ordering in the connection of sin, death, and judgment.How does the second appearance of Jesus Christ in the world distinguish itself from the first? 1, in respect to His person; 2, in His relation to sin; 3, in His influence on the world.In Christ we experience that there is a contact with sin, which does not defile, but which annihilates sin.The doing away of the hinderances to our blessedness.The looking forward of believers to the appearance of the Lord, 1, in its authorization; 2, in its satisfaction; 3, in its obligation.
Starke:There are, indeed, many offerings made to the Lord, but the most from hypocrisy, and although such have great outward show, yet they do not please Him. The sacrifices which please God, are a broken heart and a contrite spirit, Psa 51:19.The appearance of Christ in the presence of God is not merely the presentation and holding forth of His person and of His propitiatory sacrifice; but extends also to a true, glorious, and powerful intercession, in the strictest sense of the word. But He prays no longer thus humbly as when He was upon earth; for His prayer belongs to His state of exaltation, and is a fruit of His sitting at the right hand of God, the Father.Men are at no time so holy as to be absolutely beyond sinning; but since we daily sin much, and deserve punishment, we always need purification through the blood of Jesus.The single offering of Christ upon the cross, takes away sin.Only once has He been sacrificed, and more than once He may not be sacrificed, and therefore not in the sacred Supper.The last judgment is as certain as death.Observe, that upon death follows the judgment. Look to it, then, and strive with the highest industry, that thou die happy, and that thou mayest await with joy the appearance of thy Saviour for thy salvation.To await Christs coming unto salvation is the prerogative of believers, who have received for this, in a living hope, the first fruits of the Spirit; who love the appearing of the Lord, and, in order that they may hold themselves in readiness for a blissful death, deny the world and say: Even so, Come Lord Jesus, Rev 22:20.The ungodly will not be looking for the coming of Christ at the final judgment, although He will appear unto them, whether they will or no; and this undesired appearing will to them be full of sadness (Judges 15, Rev 1:7).Only when Christ shall appear will believers become perfectly blessed, Col 3:4.
Rieger:The heavenly sanctuary which Christ has entered in His appearing before God, is also the goal to which He will bring all who come to God by Him.Whosoever learns from the Gospel the cause and fruit of the appearance of Jesus in the flesh, and of His offering for sin, and learns it with a loving knowledge, he may look with joy for His appearance in glory, and for the consummation of His own blessedness.What a difference between the two appearances of Jesus, in weakness and in glory! then, under the burden of our sins, with the accompaniments of shame, the cross, and death; now, in His endless life, in the power of God and His revelation in glory.
Heubner:Only in eternity shall we see from what an abyss Christ has rescued us, and into what glory He translates us.Redemption was, in the mind of God, virtually effected from eternity, 2Ti 1:9. There was, then, need of no appearance in the presence of God; but that appearance of the crucified One which has taken place in time, was made to reveal the counsel of God to the world of spirits.The duration of the world is limited to a fixed period of time. As surely as it has a beginning, so surely will it have an end.Waiting is the Christians art. He waits for the appearance of Christ, whereby the truth of faith is victoriously confirmed, and Christ is manifested to be the Being whom Christians regard Him.
Steinhofer:Jesus, the founder of the new covenant, has gathered up the sin of the whole world, together with all its evil fruits, upon the cross, and has, once for all, so completely driven them away, that, under the testimony of the Gospel, we need make no further distinction in respect of many, or of great sins.
Menken:If even the earthly figures of heavenly things were desecrated and defiled by the communion which sinful men had with them, and could, therefore, remain in connection with them only on account of offered sacrifices, and only by means of certain holy expiations and purifyings, how much less could we anticipate an immediate, unconditional, unobstructed communion of dying and sinful men with heavenly things!
Hahn:The heavenly things flee before us in our impurity, and thither may no impure person come; and yet all the treasures of the suffering and death of Christ are deposited there, and thence must we obtain them. If we wish anything therefrom, we must again be reconciled with the sanctuary. But this is accomplished only through the blood of Christ.Happy is he who has laid the foundation of his faith in the first appearing of Christ; he will behold Him with joy in the second.
Footnotes:
[14]Heb 9:27. is to be read after , according to the united testimony of the Uncials.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
DISCOURSE: 2304
USE OF TYPICAL PURIFICATIONS
Heb 9:23. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better things than these.
THERE is very considerable difficulty in this passage. The scope of the whole chapter is clear: it is intended to shew, that, whilst the sacrifice of Christ was shadowed forth by the Levitical sacrifices, it was infinitely superior to them all. But the difficulty arises from the double meaning of the word which we translate Testament: it means either a covenant, or a testament: and the Apostle, having used it evidently in the former sense, comes, apparently at least, to use it in the latter sense: and the doubt is, whether the entire passage should be construed as relating to the covenant, or whether the idea of a testament should be admitted. On either construction, there will be difficulty; for, on the one hand, it is not easy to see what a mediator has to do with a testament; nor, on the other hand, what need there is for a person, making a covenant, to die, before it can become valid. Perhaps the best solution of the difficulty, if solution it may be called, is this: That an agreement, as entered into between two parties, is a covenant: but that a free gift, as that agreement evidently is on Gods part, and a gift of something through the death of him who obtains it for us, assumes somewhat of the character of a testament. A covenant, it is well known, was ratified with a sacrifice; and the victim must die, before the covenant could be complete. It is equally clear, that a testament is of force only when the testator is dead: so that, in both cases, death must ensue, before the instrument can be valid: in the one case, the death of a victim; in the other case, the death of the party himself. But, I confess, this is not very satisfactory; and perhaps, after all, the best way is, to take the idea of a covenant throughout the whole, and to put that construction on the word in the different places where it is translated testament. This will preserve more of unity throughout; and be, upon the whole, least liable to objection.
However, whilst I state the difficulty as appearing in the context, it is proper to observe, that it does not at all affect the sense of our text. That is clear and determinate; and it will open to us a field of rich instruction, whilst I shew from it,
I.
Whence arose a necessity for typical purifications
Typical purifications were made on many occasions
[The Apostle here refers to them, first, as made for the ratification of the covenant which God entered into with his people on Mount Horeb: yet, if we compare his account with that of Moses, we shall see several points of difference between the two; because, though the Apostle principally referred to that occasion, he had other occasions in his mind, which he comprehended with it. The account of Moses is, that Moses first related to the people the terms of Gods covenantthat the people consented to themthat Moses then wrote them in a bookthat the next morning early he built an altar, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings upon itthat he then put half of the blood into basons, and sprinkled the other half upon the altar, having previously, it should seem, put the book upon the altarthen he read to them from the book the very same words which he had before delivered orally; and they again renewed their consent to them, and their perfect acquiescence in the terms proposedthen he took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words [Note: Exo 24:3-8.]. To this account the Apostle adds, that the blood was mixed with water; and that, by means of scarlet wool and hyssop, he sprinkled with it the book, and all the people [Note: ver. 19, 20.]. His sprinkling of the book is easily accounted for, by supposing it to have been laid upon the altar: and his sprinkling of all the people, by his sprinkling it on the representatives of all. And it may be, that water was mixed with the blood in order to facilitate the sprinkling of it; and that scarlet wool and hyssop were used by him for the purpose of sprinkling it more widely than he could do with his fingers. If we suppose these things, there will be no disagreement between the two statements; only the Apostles will be the fuller. But, as the Apostle unquestionably refers to other occasions of sprinkling besides that when the covenant was made, I rather suppose, that he, in this particular enumeration of minute circumstances, (such as the use of water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop,) refers to the purification of the leper, in which these things were used by the express command of God [Note: Lev 14:4-7.].
I have said, that the Apostle unquestionably refers to other occasions besides the making of the covenant: and that he does so, appears from his mention of the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry [Note: ver. 21.]: for the tabernacle was not then reared; nor were the vessels of the ministry made; nor had the covenant above-mentioned any thing to do with remission of sins [Note: ver. 22.]. But afterwards, when the tabernacle was reared, and furnished with all the vessels belonging to it, then was there a solemn sprinkling of them all with blood. The account deserves particular attention, because it reflects the clearest light upon the Apostles statement in my text. At that time, and for ever afterwards on the great day of atonement, was an atonement made for the holy sanctuary itself, as well as for the tabernacle of the congregation; and for the altar too, no less than for the priests and the congregation. On every thing was the blood of atonement sprinkled, in order to cleanse the whole, even every vessel from the pollution it contracted by being used in the service of sinful man [Note: Lev 16:15-20; Lev 16:33.].]
But whence arose a necessity for these purifications?
[Doubtless, the necessity arose, primarily, from the mere arbitrary appointment of God, who had commanded them to be made. But, subordinate to that, there were other, and most important, reasons too for these ordinances: for by purifying every thing with blood, God first shewed to his people their extreme need of mercy; next, He shadowed forth to them the mercy which he had in reserve for them; and, lastly, He confirmed their expectation of that mercy in his appointed time.
What could a sinner think, when he understood that the very altar of God itself, yea, and the most holy place, the immediate residence of the Deity, needed to be purified with blood, because they were defiled by their use in the service of man? Must he not feel that his depravity was extreme, when his very best services were so polluted, that not only must they be purified with blood, but the very altar, on which his offerings were laid, and the sanctuary itself also, into which the blood of them was carried, must be purged with blood also? Truly these ordinances were a daily source of the deepest humiliation to every soul amongst them.
But knowing, as of necessity they must, that these ordinances were only shadows of good things to come [Note: Heb 10:1.], they would look forward to a better sacrifice, which should in due time be offered. They would see that remission of sins can be obtained through blood alone, through the blood of an innocent victim shed in their place and stead, and through the sprinkling of that blood upon their souls.
And by the daily repetition of the same ordinances, they must be constantly reminded of Gods gracious purposes towards them; and be assured that he would, in due time, accomplish all that he had promised.
Thus were the typical purifications necessary in their place.]
But it was not in the patterns only of heavenly things that there existed a need of purification, but in the heavenly things themselves. I must therefore proceed to shew,
II.
What necessity there is for purification in the things typified
Under the new covenant, no less than under the old, must every thing be purified with blood
[Our persons are altogether polluted and defiled: our bodies are a mass of corruption, our souls a sink of iniquity. There is no abomination that sin has brought into the world, but the soul is the very womb in which it is generated, or rather the fountain from whence it flows, as its proper and perennial source. How can such a creature find acceptance with a holy God, if there be not found some blood capable of purifying him from guilt, and some water capable of cleansing him from his inherent defilements?
Our services also must, of necessity, partake of all this defilement: for who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Verily, as our common actions in life need purification; so do our very tears need to be washed, and our repentances to be repented of.
But of the heavenly things spoken of in my text, heaven itself is the principal: for it is that which was typified by the most holy place; it is that of which the sanctuary was intended to be a pattern. And does that need purification? Yes, it does: nor could God himself endure it as a residence, so to speak, if it were not cleansed from the defilement it contracts by the introduction of sinners into it. Therefore, as the high-priest sprinkled the sanctuary with blood; so does our great High-priest, who has entered into heaven, with his own blood [Note: ver. 12.] sprinkle and purify that holy place, and thus prepare it as a mansion for his believing people [Note: Joh 14:2-3.].]
But for this end there must be a better sacrifice than any that were offered under the law
[The blood of beasts might suffice to cleanse men from ceremonial defilement: but it could never avail for the cleansing of moral guilt in any one particular: no; it was not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin [Note: Heb 10:4.]. To effect that was beyond the power of any created being. Had the first archangel assumed our nature for that end, he would have failed in the attempt. To so great a work none but God himself was competent: and God himself must become a man, and shed his own blood for us, ere one single sin can be blotted out from the book of Gods remembrance, or one of our fallen race be able to present to God one acceptable service. All that was shadowed forth under the law must actually be fulfilled. The Son of the living God must take upon him our nature; must die as an atonement for sin; must enter into heaven with his own blood; must sprinkle that blood upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat; must sprinkle us also, even every child of man who shall ever be interested in his atonement: even the covenant itself, too, must he sprinkle with his blood, in order to its ratification before God, and its application to our souls: all this, I say, must be done, in order to the admission of any human being to the realms of bliss. It is all necessary for Gods honour; for no less a sacrifice than this would satisfy his justice: and it is all equally necessary for our happiness; since nothing less can bring peace into our consciences, or operate with a transforming efficacy on our souls.
As the patterns then of these things needed a purification by the blood of beasts, so do the things typified need to be purged by the blood of our incarnate God.]
Let us, then, learn from these things,
1.
The need we all have of the covenant of grace
[God, as you know, has made a covenant with us. And this covenant we must receive. We must, as all Israel did, declare our consent to it, and engage to look for life on the terms which it prescribes. St. Paul says, This is the blood of the covenant which God has enjoined unto you. If God had only offered it as a gift, methinks no sinner in the universe should have hesitated to accept it: but God enjoins it with authority; and declares, that on no other terms whatever shall any sinner ever find acceptance with him. Accept, then, this covenant. Think not to make covenants of your own, whereby to secure some glory to yourselves: for you may be assured that God will never agree to any other, than that which he has proposed, and his only dear Son has ratified. The Israelites were not left to modify the covenant after their own taste; but were required to accept that which was given them of the Lord. So is there no other alternative for you, but to accept or reject the covenant of grace. If you think but one moment, you would not wish for any other covenant than that which is revealed, wherein God gives all, and you receive all. For what could you do to recommend either your persons or your services to God? If you were to shed rivers of tears, you could never wash away so much as one sin: nor, whatever efforts you might make, could you ever offer one single service, which should stand the test of Gods law, and defy the eye of Omniscience to discern a flaw in it. I say again, therefore, lay hold on this covenant; and look for all its blessings, as the free gift of God for Christs sake.]
2.
The way in which we may become partakers of it
[You have already seen how Moses sprinkled all the people with the blood of the sacrifice: and by that sprinkling were they all made partakers of it: and in the same way must you also become partakers of the covenant of grace. St. Paul tells us, that to this sprinkling of blood every believer comes [Note: Heb 12:24.]: and St. Peter tells us, that by it every believer is saved [Note: 1Pe 1:2.]. In truth, as it was the shedding of the blood of Christ that satisfied the Divine Majesty, and ratified the covenant; so is it the sprinkling of that blood on our hearts and consciences that can alone entitle us to its benefits. But, in relation to this matter, there is a very important difference between the Israelites and us. They were sprinkled in the persons of their representatives: but we must be sprinkled in our own persons: nothing amongst us can be done by proxy. We must ourselves dip the scarlet wool and hyssop, so to speak, in the blood of our great Sacrifice; and by faith must sprinkle it on our own hearts and consciences. Yea, we must daily sprinkle with it both our persons and our services, and look for heaven as prepared for us by it, that we may to all eternity sing, To Him who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood. The sacrifice of Christ was unto God of a sweet-smelling savour [Note: Eph 5:2.]: let it be so to us also; and all that has been purchased by it shall be ours.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Ver. 23. But the heavenly things ] Those spiritual good things set forth by the types of the law; or the Church under the gospel, called Jerusalem that is above, &c.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
23 .] There ( was ) (more probably than ‘ is ,’ seeing that he was before speaking, not of the renewed cleansing year by year, but of the solemn inauguration: and much more, now that he is coming to speak of the heavenly sanctuary, must he be asserting a necessity not of continually renewed cleansing, but of a past one, once for all) necessity therefore (this first inference follows from the facts just mentioned: and is introduced only to lead the way to the second, . . ., which itself is a conclusion from the analogy between type and antitype, and is the converse of the ‘a fortiori’ proposition of Heb 9:13-14 ) that the delineations not, “ patterns :” at least not in the present acceptation of that word. The heavenly things themselves would be the patterns, or antitypes. See on ch. Heb 8:5 ) of the things in the heavens (i. e. of the heavenly tabernacle with its contents: see below) should be purified (for the was in fact not only an inauguration, but a purification likewise: and the proposition of Heb 9:22 , ‘wherever there is , there is ,’ will bear converting, wherever there is a sprinkling with blood, there is remission, and consequently, purification) with these (i. e. not the various purifications mentioned up to this time, the ashes of the red heifer included, as Lnem., al.; for these last were never used to purify the tabernacle or its vessels: nor again, “blood and the like,” e. g. the oil which was used with it, as De Wette, al.; for this has not been mentioned: nor, “talibus, nempe rebus Leviticis,” as Bhme, which is far too vague. It is the blood, and that only, which is meant: the plural being used most probably to indicate the animals slain, the . ), but the heavenly things themselves (i. e. heaven and the things therein: cf. in the next verse, of which Bleek well remarks, that the junction to this by can only then be valid when those words refer to the same as our . But it has appeared difficult to Commentators to understand, how heaven itself should need this cleansing. Consequently various expedients have been adopted: and various meanings given, either to or to the verb. Luther, Calv., Beza, Grot., Le Clerc, Ebrard, Lnem., al. (not Bleek, as Ebr.) would understand to be applied only by zeugma to the second member of our sentence, and would get out of it the idea , or “aditum pati,” or something of the kind. But to this we may answer, with Delitzsch, that every kind of inauguration, or patefaction, passed upon the heavenly things themselves by means of blood , must mean an inauguration or patefaction by means of propitiatory purification: so that the difficulty remains where it was. Thos. Aquinas (“Mundantur clestia, quatenus homines mundantur a peccatis”), Bengel (“i. e. usus redditus sanctus respectu nostri”), Tholuck, al. understand it of our being purified to inherit or enter heaven: which Delitzsch properly calls, after the difference which has been already in the text indicated between the purification of person and of the tabernacle, a precarious ‘quid pro quo.’ Still less can we accept the interpretations given in the ancient expositors, e. g. Chrys. ( , , ), c. ( , ( )), Thdrt. ( , ), Thl. ( , ): so also Primasius, Aymo, Psuedo-Anselm. See this view well met in Justiniani. More literally, some have interpreted it with a view to the expulsion of Satan from heaven spoken of Luk 10:18 ; Joh 12:31 , and especially Rev 12:7-9 ; see also our ch. Heb 2:14 . So Akersloot, and Bleek. But this does not meet the requirements of the case. There would thus be no cleansing, as far as the relations of God and men are concerned: none, to which the propitiatory effect of blood would in any way apply. We must therefore rest in the plain and literal sense: that the heaven itself needed, and obtained, purification by the atoning blood of Christ. And if we enquire how this could be, we may find an answer in reflecting on the consequence of man’s sin on the mind and aspect of God towards him. That unclouded benignity wherewith the Creator contemplated his creation, Gen 1:31 , had become overcast by the divine anger on account of sin, but was again restored by Him in whom the Father , the darkness being by His blood turned into light, the frown into an eternal smile. So Delitzsch beautifully: “If I see aright, the meaning of the Writer is, in its ground thought, this: the supernal holiest place, i. e., as Heb 9:24 shews, , the uncreated eternal heaven of God, although in itself untroubled light, yet needed a in so far as the light of Love towards man was, so to speak, outflared and obscured by the fire of wrath against sinful man; and the heavenly tabernacle, i. e. the place of God’s revealing of His majesty and grace for angels and men, needed a , in so far as men had rendered this place, which was destined for them from the beginning, unapproachable by reason of their sin, and so it must be changed into an approachable place of manifestation of a God gracious to men”) with sacrifices (categoric plural of an abstract proposition: not therefore implying that the sacrifice was repeated: applicable in its reality, only to the one Sacrifice of the body of Christ once for all, and most emphatically designating that as a sacrifice ) better than (see on ch. Heb 1:4 ) these .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Heb 9:23-28 . The necessity of cleansing the heavenly sanctuary and the efficiency and finality of Christ’s one sacrifice.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Heb 9:23 . “It was necessary, therefore, that the copies indeed of the heavenly things be cleansed with these, but the heavenlies themselves with better sacrifices than these.” , the carries to its consequence Heb 9:22 ; and the necessity arises from the injunction of the law there mentioned. . the show that the second clause is that to which attention is to be given, the first clause introducing it. The statement is almost equivalent to “As it was necessary so it was necessary” The . are the tabernacle and its furnishings, in accordance with Heb 8:5 ; which see. , viz. , the things mentioned in Heb 9:19 . . If the copies were cleansed by material rites, realities being spiritual and eternal can only be cleansed by what is spiritual and eternal, cf. Heb 9:14 . , the plural is suggested by , and states an abstract inference. But do the “heavenlies” need cleansing? Bruce says, “I prefer to make no attempt to assign a theological meaning to the words. I would rather make them intelligible to my mind by thinking of the glory and honour accruing even to heaven by the entrance there of ‘the Lamb of God’. I believe there is more of poetry than of theology in the words. For the writer is a poet as well as a theologian, and on this account, theological pedants, however learned, can never succeed in interpreting satisfactorily this epistle”. But it is scarcely permissible to exclude at this point of the author’s argument the theological inference that in some sense and in some relation the heavenlies need cleansing. The earthly tabernacle, as God’s dwelling, might have been supposed to be hallowed by His presence and to need no cleansing, but being also His meeting-place with men it required to be cleansed. And so our heavenly relations with God, and all wherewith we seek to approach Him, need cleansing. In themselves things heavenly need no cleansing, but as entered upon by sinful men they need it. Our eternal relations with God require purification.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Heb 9:23-28
23Therefore 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. 24For 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; 25nor 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. 26Otherwise, 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. 27And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28so 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 “for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed” The concept of things in heaven having been polluted by mankind’s sin on earth is unusual, but not unique to this author (cf. Rom 8:18-22). The Day of Atonement, alluded to so often in this chapter, involves the yearly cleansing of the tabernacle from ceremonial defilement (cf. Exo 30:10; Lev 16:11-20). Heaven may have been polluted by
1. mankind’s fall (cf. Rom 8:18-22; Col 1:20)
2. Satan’s presence (cf. Job 1-2; Zechariah 3)
3. simply a concept in rabbinical tradition
Heb 9:24 “now to appear in the presence of God for us” Jesus’ priestly work was done on two levels: (1) as sacrifice on earth and (2) as priest in heaven. This phrase can be understood in two ways: contextually it refers to His sacrificial death on fallen mankind’s behalf, but it could be understood as a reference to His continuing intercessory ministry (cf. Heb 7:25; Rom 8:34; 1Jn 2:1).
The term “appear” is emphaniz, which means “to manifest” (cf. Mat 27:53). In Heb 9:26 the word “manifest,” phanero, (cf. 2Co 5:10; Col 3:4; 1Pe 5:4; 1Jn 2:28; 1Jn 3:2) is used and in Heb 9:28 the word “appear,” optomai (cf. Mat 17:3; Luk 1:11; Luk 9:31; Luk 22:43; Luk 24:34; Act 2:3; Act 7:2; Act 7:30; Act 7:35; Act 9:17; Act 16:9; Act 26:16).
It is surprising the author uses three synonymous terms.
Heb 9:25 This continues the theological emphasis of the book of Hebrews that Jesus gave Himself “once” (cf. Heb 7:27; Heb 9:11; Heb 9:25-28; Heb 10:10) thereby, His priesthood, sacrifice, and sanctuary are superior to their OT counterparts.
Heb 9:26
NASB”otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often”
NKJV”He then would have had to suffer often”
NRSV”for then he would have had to suffer again”
TEV”for then he would have had to suffer many times”
NJB”or else he would have had to suffer over and over again”
In his Word Pictures in the New Testament, A. T. Robertson asserts that this is an assumed second class conditional sentence (Vol. V, p. 404), which would imply a false statement resulting in a false conclusion. Jesus suffered only once, not like the regular sacrifices.
NASB”at the consummation of the ages”
NKJV”at the end of the ages”
NRSV”at the end of the age”
TEV”now when all ages of time are nearing the end”
NJB”at the end of the last age”
There are several Greek terms that relate to “time,” “eternity,” and “age.” In chapter 9 three temporal referents are used:.
1. Heb 9:9, “present time,” i.e., Old Testament
2. Heb 9:10, “time of reformation,” i.e., New Testament (start of the new age,)
3. Heb 9:26, “consummation of the ages,” i.e., new age of righteousness (consummation of the new age, cf. Mat 13:39-40; Mat 13:49; Mat 24:3; Mat 28:20)
The rabbis and the NT authors envisioned two ages (a horizontal dualism): (1) a current evil age characterized by human rebellion and the curse of God and (2) the age to come inaugurated by the Messiah, a day of righteousness.
The OT focuses on the majestic, powerful coming of the Messiah as Judge and Ruler, but as the NT reveals, He will come twice, once as suffering servant, the Lamb of God; and later, just the way the OT predicted. These two distinct comings have caused the overlapping of the two Jewish ages. The Kingdom of God has come with Jesus’ birth but will not be consummated until His glorious return. Believers are thus citizens of two realms: the eternal Kingdom and a temporal kingdom.
Heb 9:27 This verse surely rejects any notion of the transmigration of souls, the wheel of kharma, or previous lives, which is a horrible doctrine for fallen, sinful humanaity! It is the Christian worldview of “one life, then judgment” that fuels the urgency of evangelism; that destroys the theological concept of universalism (all humans will be saved in the end); that demands the great commission (cf. Mat 28:19-20) not be turned into a good suggestion or the great option!
Heb 9:28 “to bear the sins of many” This may be an allusion to Isa 53:12 (cf. 1Pe 2:24). The term “many” is not exclusive (some), but parallel to “all” of Isa 53:6 (cf. Rom 5:18, “all”; Rom 5:19, “many”).
The term “bear” may also be an allusion to Isa 53:4; Isa 53:11-12. The Hebrew verb means “to bear” or “take away” (cf. 1Pe 2:24). “Jesus paid a debt He did not owe; we owed a debt we could not pay.”
“will appear a second time” This probably refers to the Second Coming of Christ, a recurrent NT theme (cf. Mat 24:3; Mat 24:27; Mat 24:30; Mat 24:37; Mat 24:39; Mat 24:42; Mat 24:44; Mat 26:64; Mar 13:20; Mar 14:62; Luk 21:27; Joh 14:3; Act 1:11; 1Co 1:7; 1Co 15:23; Php 3:20-21; 1Th 2:19; 1Th 3:13; 1Th 4:15-16; 1Th 5:23; 2Th 1:7; 2Th 1:10; 2Th 2:1; 2Th 2:8; 1Ti 6:14; 2Ti 4:1; 2Ti 4:8; Tit 2:13; Heb 9:28; Jas 5:7-8; 1Pe 1:7; 1Pe 1:13; 2Pe 1:16; 2Pe 3:4; 2Pe 3:12; 1Jn 2:28). See Special Topic: Greek Verb Tenses Used for Salvation at Heb 1:14.
However, it is possible, contextually, that it refers to Christ leaving the heavenly tabernacle after His great and successful sacrifice (cf. New Testament Transline by Michael Magill, p. 846, #32 and 35). Something analogous to the OT High Priest exiting the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement.
NASB”for salvation without reference to sin”
NKJV”apart from sin, for salvation”
NRSV, TEV”not to deal with sin, but to save”
NJB”sin being no more. . .to bring salvation”
This phrase seems to imply that Christ came the first time to deal with mankind’s sin problem, but He will come again to gather to Himself (cf. 1Th 4:13-18) those who have trusted in Him and long for His return (cf. Rom 8:19; Rom 8:23; 1Co 1:7; Php 3:20; Tit 2:13).
“to those who eagerly await Him” This may be another allusion to the ceremony of the Day of Atonement, where the Israelites eagerly waited for the High Priest to come out of the Holy of Holies alive, which symbolized YHWH’s acceptance of his intercessory ministry.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
patterns. Here = copies; “example” in Heb 8:5.
the heavens. See Mat 6:9, Mat 6:10.
heavenly. See Heb 3:1.
better sacrifices. i.e. one greater and better sacrifice. Figure of speech Heterosis. App-6. Compare Psa 51:17.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
23.] There (was) (more probably than is, seeing that he was before speaking, not of the renewed cleansing year by year, but of the solemn inauguration: and much more, now that he is coming to speak of the heavenly sanctuary, must he be asserting a necessity not of continually renewed cleansing, but of a past one, once for all) necessity therefore (this first inference follows from the facts just mentioned: and is introduced only to lead the way to the second, …, which itself is a conclusion from the analogy between type and antitype, and is the converse of the a fortiori proposition of Heb 9:13-14) that the delineations not, patterns: at least not in the present acceptation of that word. The heavenly things themselves would be the patterns, or antitypes. See on ch. Heb 8:5) of the things in the heavens (i. e. of the heavenly tabernacle with its contents: see below) should be purified (for the was in fact not only an inauguration, but a purification likewise: and the proposition of Heb 9:22,-wherever there is , there is ,-will bear converting,-wherever there is a sprinkling with blood, there is remission, and consequently, purification) with these (i. e. not the various purifications mentioned up to this time, the ashes of the red heifer included, as Lnem., al.; for these last were never used to purify the tabernacle or its vessels: nor again, blood and the like, e. g. the oil which was used with it, as De Wette, al.; for this has not been mentioned: nor, talibus, nempe rebus Leviticis, as Bhme, which is far too vague. It is the blood, and that only, which is meant: the plural being used most probably to indicate the animals slain, the . ), but the heavenly things themselves (i. e. heaven and the things therein: cf. in the next verse, of which Bleek well remarks, that the junction to this by can only then be valid when those words refer to the same as our . But it has appeared difficult to Commentators to understand, how heaven itself should need this cleansing. Consequently various expedients have been adopted: and various meanings given, either to or to the verb. Luther, Calv., Beza, Grot., Le Clerc, Ebrard, Lnem., al. (not Bleek, as Ebr.) would understand to be applied only by zeugma to the second member of our sentence, and would get out of it the idea , or aditum pati, or something of the kind. But to this we may answer, with Delitzsch, that every kind of inauguration, or patefaction, passed upon the heavenly things themselves by means of blood, must mean an inauguration or patefaction by means of propitiatory purification: so that the difficulty remains where it was. Thos. Aquinas (Mundantur clestia, quatenus homines mundantur a peccatis), Bengel (i. e. usus redditus sanctus respectu nostri), Tholuck, al. understand it of our being purified to inherit or enter heaven: which Delitzsch properly calls, after the difference which has been already in the text indicated between the purification of person and of the tabernacle, a precarious quid pro quo. Still less can we accept the interpretations given in the ancient expositors, e. g. Chrys. ( , , ), c. (, ()), Thdrt. ( , ), Thl. (, ): so also Primasius, Aymo, Psuedo-Anselm. See this view well met in Justiniani. More literally, some have interpreted it with a view to the expulsion of Satan from heaven spoken of Luk 10:18; Joh 12:31, and especially Rev 12:7-9; see also our ch. Heb 2:14. So Akersloot, and Bleek. But this does not meet the requirements of the case. There would thus be no cleansing, as far as the relations of God and men are concerned: none, to which the propitiatory effect of blood would in any way apply. We must therefore rest in the plain and literal sense: that the heaven itself needed, and obtained, purification by the atoning blood of Christ. And if we enquire how this could be, we may find an answer in reflecting on the consequence of mans sin on the mind and aspect of God towards him. That unclouded benignity wherewith the Creator contemplated his creation, Gen 1:31, had become overcast by the divine anger on account of sin, but was again restored by Him in whom the Father , the darkness being by His blood turned into light, the frown into an eternal smile. So Delitzsch beautifully: If I see aright, the meaning of the Writer is, in its ground thought, this: the supernal holiest place, i. e., as Heb 9:24 shews, , the uncreated eternal heaven of God, although in itself untroubled light, yet needed a in so far as the light of Love towards man was, so to speak, outflared and obscured by the fire of wrath against sinful man; and the heavenly tabernacle, i. e. the place of Gods revealing of His majesty and grace for angels and men, needed a , in so far as men had rendered this place, which was destined for them from the beginning, unapproachable by reason of their sin, and so it must be changed into an approachable place of manifestation of a God gracious to men) with sacrifices (categoric plural of an abstract proposition: not therefore implying that the sacrifice was repeated: applicable in its reality, only to the one Sacrifice of the body of Christ once for all, and most emphatically designating that as a sacrifice) better than (see on ch. Heb 1:4) these.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Heb 9:23. , therefore) The particle intimates that the execution of those things which were mentioned at Heb 9:18 is comprehended in this Passage.- , with better victims or sacrifices) The plural, corresponding to the Levitical plural, is used for the singular, on account of the excellence of the one sacrifice of Christ, which was perfect in all its parts. If a Jew asks, What are your sacrifices? We answer: Our sacrifices consist in the one matchless sacrifice of Him who was crucified. In this Apodosis, the word , to be purified, which is to be supplied, makes a Hypallage;[52] for the heavenly things are pure in themselves, but we needed to be purified in order that we might enjoy them, Heb 9:14. So , is sanctified, 1Ti 4:5; 1Ti 4:4, i.e. the use is rendered holy in respect of us. Comp. Lev 16:16; Lev 16:19; Num 18:1.
[52] See Append. A change, whereby a thing is attributed to one subject which ought to be attributed to another. Here purification is attributed to the heavenly things, which really applies to ourselves.-ED.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
In the following verses, unto the end of the chapter, the apostle makes an application of all that he had discoursed, concerning the services and sacrifices of the tabernacle, with their use and efficacy, on the one hand, and the sacrifice of Christ, its nature, use, and efficacy, on the other, unto his present argument. Now this was to demonstrate the excellency, dignity, and virtue of the priesthood of Christ, and the sacrifice of himself that he offered thereby, as he was the mediator of the new covenant. And he doth it in the way of comparison, as unto what there was of similitude between them; and of opposition, as unto what was singular in the person and priesthood of Christ, wherein they had no share; declaring on both accounts the incomparable excellency of him and his sacrifice above the priests of the law and theirs, And hereon he concludes his whole discourse with an elegant comparison and opposition between the law and the gospel, wherein he compriseth in few words the substance of them both, as unto their effects on the souls of men.
That wherein in general there was a similitude in these things is expressed, Heb 9:23.
Heb 9:23 , .
There is no difference of importance in the translation of these words by any interpreters of reputation, and singly they have been all of them before spoken unto. Only the Syriac renders . by similitudes; not unaptly.
Heb 9:23. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
An entrance is made in these words into the comparison intended. For as unto both sorts of sacrifices compared, it is here granted in general that they purged the things whereunto they were applied. But there is a difference also laid down in this verse, namely, as unto the things that were purified by them, and consequently in the nature of their respective purifications.
There are in the words,
1. A note of inference, or dependence on the former discourse; therefore.
2. A double proposition of things of diverse natures compared together.
3. The modification of both these propositions; it was necessary.
4. In the first proposition there is,
(1.) The subject-matter spoken of; the patterns of things in the heavens.
(2.) What is affirmed of them as necessary to them; that they should be purified.
(3.) The means whereby; with these.
5. The same things are proposed in the second, namely,
(1.) The things spoken of, or the heavenly things themselves.
(2.) What is affirmed of them is traduced from the other proposition; they also were purified.
(3.) The means whereby they were so; with better sacrifices than these.
1. That which first occurs is the note of inference, or dependence on the former discourse; therefore. And it hath an equal respect unto both parts of the assertion. And it is not the being of the things, but their manifestation, that is intended: From what hath been said concerning the legal purification of all things, and the spiritual purification that is by the sacrifice of Christ, these things are evident and manifest.
2. Of both the things affirmed it is said that it was necessary they should be so; that is, it was so from Gods institution and appointment. There was no necessity in the nature of the things themselves, that the patterns of heavenly things should be purged with these sacrifices; but on supposition that God would in and by them represent the purification of the heavenly things, it was necessary that they should be thus purged with blood. And on the supposition of the same divine ordination that the heavenly things themselves should be purified, it was necessary that they should be purified with better sacrifices than these, which were altogether insufficient unto that end.
3. The subject of the first proposition is, The patterns of things in the heavens. The are the in the next words. Things in the heavens are heavenly things. And they are the same with , in the next verse; figures of the true things.
(1.) The things intended are those which the apostle hath discoursed of; the covenant, the book, the people, the tabernacle, with all the vessels of its ministry. These he calls , which we well render patterns. And patterns are of two sorts:
[1.] Such as are , exemplaria; those from and according unto which any other thing is framed. That is the pattern of any thing, according unto which it is contrived, made and fashioned. So a scheme or frame drawn and delineated, is the pattern of an edifice.
[2.] Such as are , exemplata; that are framed according unto other things which they do resemble and represent. These also are .
The things mentioned were not patterns of the heavenly things in the first sense; the heavenly things were not framed by them, to answer, resemble, and represent them. But they were so in the latter only. And therefore in the first constitution of them, those which were durable and to abide, as the tabernacle with all its utensils and vessels, with the posture and disposal of them, were made and erected according to an original pattern showed in the mount; or they were framed according unto the idea of the heavenly things themselves, whereof he made a representation unto Moses, and communicated a resemblance of them unto him, according unto his own good pleasure.
This is the order of these things: The heavenly things themselves were designed, framed, and disposed in the mind of God, in all their order, courses, beauty, efficacy, and tendency unto his own eternal glory. This was the whole mystery of the wisdom of God for the redemption and salvation of the church by Jesus Christ. This is that which is declared in the gospel, being before hid in God from the foundation of the world, Eph 3:8-10. Of these things did God grant a typical resemblance, similitude, and pattern, in the tabernacle and its services. That he would make such a kind of resemblance of those heavenly things, as unto their kind, nature, and use, that he would instruct the church by them, was an act of his mere sovereign will and pleasure. And this is that effect of his wisdom which was manifest under the old testament; whereon the faith and obedience of the church were wholly to acquiesce in his sovereignty. And this their resemblance of heavenly things, which they had not from their own nature, but merely from the pleasure of God, gave them all their glory and worth; which the saints under the old testament did in some measure understand. The present Jews do, as their forefathers did, under the degeneracy of their church, conceive their glory to consist in the materials and curious structure of them; things that the wealth and art of men might exceed. But in themselves they were all earthly, carnal, perishing, and liable unto all sorts of corruption. Much inferior they were in nature and glory unto the souls of men, which were conversant in their highest and most noble acts about them. But herein alone consisted their honor, worth, and use, they were patterns of heavenly things, And we may observe, that
Obs. 1. The glory and efficacy of all ordinances of divine worship which consist in outward observance (as it is with the sacraments of the gospel) consist in this, that they represent and exhibit heavenly things unto us. And this power of representation they have from divine institution alone.
(2.) What they were patterns of is expressed; namely, of things in the heavens. What these were in particular must be spoken unto in the exposition of the next proposition, whereof they are the subject, The heavenly things themselves.
(3.) Of these things it is affirmed that they were purified. The apostle had treated before of a double purification:
[1.] Of that which consisted in a cleansing from defilements of its own; sprinkling the unclean, and sanctifying to the purifying of the flesh, Heb 9:13; Heb 9:22.
[2.] That which consisted in a dedication unto sacred use. But this also had some respect unto uncleanness: not unto any that the things so dedicated had in themselves, but because of the uncleanness of them that were to make use of them. This was such, as that God would have the intervention of the sprinkling of blood between him and them in all their services, as he declares, Lev 16:15-17. And this he would do, that he might teach them the absolute and universal necessity of the purifying efficacy of the blood of Christ, in all things between him and sinners. Of this purification he gives us in this discourse two instances:
[1.] That which was initial, at the first solemnization of the covenant, Heb 9:18-20.
[2.] That which was annual, in the sprinkling of the tabernacle and its vessels, because of the uncleannesses of the people, Heb 9:21. This latter purification is that which is intended.
(4.) The means whereby they were thus to be purified is, with these. In the next proposition, the heavenly things themselves are said to be purified , with sacrifices. But the purification of these patterns was not absolutely confined unto sacrifices. Water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and the ashes of an heifer, in some cases, were required thereunto. With these; that is, with all those things which were appointed by the law to be used in their purification or dedication unto sacred use.
(5.) If inquiry be made why these patterns were thus purified, the apostle affirms that it was necessary it should be so. This, as it respects both propositions in this verse equally, was spoken unto in general before. The grounds of this necessity with respect unto these patterns were these:
[1.] The will and command of God. This is that which originally, or in the first place, makes any thing necessary in divine worship. This is the only spring of rational obedience in instituted worship; whatever is without it, whatever is beyond it, is no part of sacred service. God would have them thus purified. Yet also was there herein this manifest reason of his will, namely, that thereby he might represent the purification of heavenly things. On this supposition, that God would so represent heavenly things by them, it was necessary that they should be purified.
[2.] Seeing he would have them purified, there was a meetness that they should be so with these things. For being themselves carnal and earthly, as were the tabernacle and all the vessels of it, it was meet they should be purified with things carnal also; such as were the blood of beasts, water, hyssop, and scarlet wool.
[3.] In particular, it was necessary that they should be purified with the blood of sacrifices; because they were types of those things which were to be purified with the only proper expiatory sacrifice. These were the foundations of the whole system of Mosaical rites and ordinances; and on them they stood until they were removed by God himself.
Obs. 2. And that which we should learn from hence is, a due consideration of that respect which we ought to have to the holiness of God in his worship and service. He did manifest it unto us, to beget in us a due reverence of it. He would never admit of any thing therein but what was purified according unto his own institution. All other things he always rejected as unclean and profane. Without a due apprehension hereof, and endeavoring to have both our persons and our services purified by the sprinkling of the blood of Christ. neither they nor we can be accepted before him.
4. The other proposition in the text is, that the heavenly things themselves were to be purified with better sacrifices
(1.) The first thing in the words is the subject of the proposition, the heavenly things themselves; that is, the things whereof the other were the patterns, by which God represented them unto the church. But what these things are is not easy to determine. Some say that heaven itself is intended, the superethereal heavens; the place of the present residence of Christ, and of the souls of them that are saved by him. But taking the heavens absolutely, especially for that which is called the heaven of heavens, with respect unto their fabric, and as the place of Gods glorious residence, and it is not easy to conceive how they stood in need to be purified by sacrifice. Some say it is spiritual things, that is, the souls and consciences of men, that are intended. And they are called heavenly in opposition unto the things of the law, which were all carnal and earthly. And it is certain they are not to be excluded out of this expression; for unto their purification is the virtue of the sacrifice of Christ directly applied, verse 14. Yet the whole context, and the antithesis in it between the types and the things typified, make it evident that they alone are not intended.
To clear the mind of the apostle in this expression, sundry things must be observed out of the context:
[1.] The apostle treats of a double purification, as was immediately before declared. In this application of his discourse he intends them both. But whereas some things stood in need of the one only, namely, of that of dedication unto God; and some of the other, namely, purging from defilements, as the souls and consciences of men; they are distinctly to be applied unto the things spoken of, according to their capacity. Some were purified by dedication, some by actual cleansing from real defilements; both which are included in the notion of sacred purification, or sanctification.
[2.] These heavenly things must be all those, and only those, whereof the other were patterns or resemblances This is plain in the context and antithesis. Wherefore,
[3.] By heavenly things, I understand all the effects of the counsel of God in Christ, in the redemption, worship, salvation, and eternal glory of the church; that is, Christ himself in all his offices, with all the spiritual and eternal effects of them on the souls and consciences of men, with all the worship of God by him according unto the gospel. For of all these things those of the law were the patterns. He did in and by them give a representation of all these things, as we may see in particular:
1st. Christ himself, and the sacrifice of himself, were typed out by these things To prove this, is the principal purpose of the apostle. They were the shadow, he the body or substance, as he speaks elsewhere. He was the Lord from heaven; who is in heaven, who speaketh from heaven, 1Co 15:47; Joh 3:13; Heb 12:25.
2dly. All spiritual and eternal grace, mercy, blessings, whereof the souls of men are made partakers by the mediation and sacrifice of Christ, are heavenly things, and are constantly so called, Heb 3:1; Joh 3:12; Eph 1:3; Eph 2:6.
3dly. The church itself and its worship are of the same kind; the things principally to be purified by these sacrifices It is Gods heavenly kingdom, Eph 5:25-26.
4thly. Heaven itself is comprised herein, not absolutely, but as it is the mansion of Christ and the redeemed in the presence of God for evermore.
(2.) Hereon the inquiry will be, how these things are said to be purified; for of real purification from uncleanness not one of them is capable but only the church, that is, the souls and consciences of men. I answer, that we are to have recourse unto that twofold sense of purification before laid down, namely, of external dedication, and internal purging; both which are expressed by the name of sanctification in the Scripture. Most of the things that were purified by the blood of the sacrifices at the ,giving of the law were so in the first sense, and no otherwise. The covenant, the book of the law, and the tabernacle with all its vessels, were purified in their sacred dedication unto God and his service. Thus were all the heavenly things themselves purified. Christ himself was sanctified, consecrated, dedicated unto God, in his own blood. He sanctified himself, Joh 17:19; and that by the blood of the covenant, Heb 10:29; even when he was consecrated or made perfect through sufferings, Heb 2:10. So was the church and the whole worship of it dedicated unto God, made holy unto him, Eph 5:25-26. And heaven itself was dedicated to be a habitation for ever unto the mystical body of Christ, in perfect peace with the angels above, who had never sinned, Eph 1:10; Heb 12:22-25.
But yet there was, moreover, a real purification of the most of these things. The church, or the souls and consciences of men, were really cleansed, purified, and sanctified, with an internal, spiritual purification, Eph 5:25-26; Tit 2:14. It was washed in the blood of Christ, Rev 1:5; and is thereby cleansed from sin, 1Jn 1:7. And heaven itself was in some sense so purified, as the tabernacle was because of the sins of the people among whom it was, Lev 16:16. Sin had entered into heaven itself, in the apostasy of angels; whence it was not pure in the sight of God, Job 15:15. And upon the sin of man, a state of enmity ensued between the angels above and men below; so that heaven was no meet place for a habitation unto them both, until they were reconciled; which was done only in the sacrifice of Christ, Eph 1:10. Hence, if the heavenly things were not defiled in themselves, yet in relation unto us they were so; which is now taken away.
The sum is: As the covenant, the book, the people, the tabernacle, were all purified, and dedicated unto their especial ends, by the blood of calves and goats, wherein was laid the foundation of all gracious intercourse between God and the church, under the old covenant; so all things whatever, that in the counsel of God belonged unto the new covenant, the whole mediation of Christ, with all the spiritual and eternal effects of it, were confirmed, dedicated unto God, and made effectual unto the ends of the covenant, by the blood of the sacrifice of Christ, which is the spring from whence efficacy is communicated unto them all. And moreover, the souls and consciences of the elect are purified and sanctified from all defilements thereby; which work is gradually carried on in them, by renewed applications of the same blood unto them, until they are all presented unto God glorious, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. And we are taught that,
Obs. 3. The one sacrifice of Christ, with what ensued thereon, was the only means to render effectual all the counsels of God concerning the redemption and salvation of the church. Eph 1:3-7, Rom 3:24-26.
(3.) Of these heavenly things it is said, that they were purified with better sacrifices than these, . is added to increase the signification. All sober expositors agree that here is an enallage of number, the plural put for the singular. The one sacrifice of Christ is alone intended. But because it answered all other sacrifices, exceeded them all in dignity, was of more use and efficacy than they all, it is so expressed. That one sacrifice comprised the virtue, benefit, and signification of all others. The gloss of Grotius on these words is intolerable, and justly offensive unto all pious souls: , saith he, quia non tantum Christi perpessiones intelligit, sed eorum qui ipsum sectantur, una cum precibus et operibus misericordiae. Is it possible that any Christian should not tremble to join the sufferings of men and their works with the sacrifice of Christ, as unto the same kind of efficacy in purifying of these heavenly things? Do they make atonement for sin? Are they offered unto God for that end? Are they sprinkled on these things for their purification?
(4.) The modification of the former proposition belongs unto this also. It was necessary these things should be thus purified:
[1.] As that which the holiness of God required, and which therefore in his wisdom and grace he appointed;
[2.] As that which in itself was meet and becoming the righteousness of God, Heb 2:10. Nothing but the sacrifice of Christ, with the everlasting efficacy of his most precious blood, could thus purify the heavenly things, and dedicate the whole new creation unto God.
(5.) The last thing we shall observe hereon is, that it was that this dedication and purification is ascribed unto. Now is a slain sacrifice, a sacrifice as slain; a sacrifice by mactation, killing, or shedding of blood. So is , also. Wherefore it is the sacrifice of Christ in his death and blood-shedding that is the cause of these things. Other of him there was none, he offered none. For the vindication hereof we must examine the comment of Schlichtingius on this place. His words are,
Licet enim non sanguinem suum Christus Deo obtulerit, sed se ipsum; tamen sine sanguinis effusione offerre se ipsum non potuit neque debuit. Ex eo vero quod diximus fit, ut auctor divinus Christum cum victimis legalibus contferens, perpetuo fugiat dicere Christi sanguinem fuisse oblatum; et nihilominus ut similitudini serviat, perpetuo Christi sanguinis fusionem insinuet, quae nisi antecessisset, hand quaquam tam plena, tamque concinna inter Christum et victimas antiquas comparatio institui potuisset. Ex his ergo manifestum est in ilia sancta celestia ad eorum dedicationem emundationemque peragendam, victimam pretiosissimam, proinde non sanguinem hircorum et vitulorum, imo ne sanguinem quidem ullum, sed ipsum Dei Filium, idque omnibus mortalis naturae exuviis de-positis, quo nulla pretiosior et sanctior victima cogitari potuit, debuisse inferri.
Ans. [1.] The distinction between Christ offering [his blood and offering himself to God (the foundation of this discourse), is coined on purpose to pervert the truth. For neither did Christ offer his blood unto God but in the offering of himself, nor did he offer himself unto God but in and by the shedding and offering of his blood. There is no distinction between Christ offering of himself and offering of his blood, other than between the being of any thing and the form and manner of its being what it is
[2.] That he could not offer himself without the antecedent effusion of his blood, seems a kind concession; but it hath the same design with the preceding distinction. But in the offering of himself he was , a slain sacrifice, which was in and by the effusion of his blood; in the very shedding of it, it was offered unto God.
[3.] It is a useless observation, that the apostle, in comparing the sacrifice of Christ with the legal victims, doth (as it is said) carefully avoid the saying that he offered his blood. For in those legal sacrifices the beasts themselves were always said to be offered, although it was the blood alone wherewith atonement was made on the altar, Lev 17:11. And this the apostle expressly ascribes unto the blood of Christ, in answer unto the blood of bulls and goats, Heb 9:13-14.
[4.] The apostle doth not insinuate the mention of the shedding of the blood of Christ only to make up a full and fit comparison with the legal victims, as is impudently insinuated; but he directly ascribes the whole effect of reconciliation, peace, atonement, remission of sins, and sanctification, unto the blood of Christ, as shed and offered unto God. And this he doth not only in this epistle, where he insists on this comparison, but in other places also, where he hath no regard unto it, Rom 3:25; Eph 1:7; Eph 5:2; Eph 5:25-26; Tit 2:14; Col 1:20.
[5.] Having advanced thus far, in the close of his exposition he excludes the blood of Christ from any more interest or efficiency in the purification of these heavenly things than the blood of goats and calves; which is such an open contradiction unto the whole design and express words of the apostle, as that the assertion of it exceeds all the bounds of sobriety and modesty.
From the words thus opened, we may observe unto our own use,
Obs. 4. Neither could heavenly things have been made meet for us or our use, nor we have been meet for their enjoyment, had they not been dedicated and we been purged by the sacrifice of Christ. There was no suitableness either in them unto us, or in us unto them, until it was introduced by the blood of Christ. Without the efficiency hereof, heavenly things would not be heavenly unto the minds and souls of men; they would neither please them nor satisfy them, nor make them blessed. Unless they themselves are purged, all things, even heavenly things themselves, would be unclean and defiled unto them, Tit 1:15.
Obs. 5. Every eternal mercy, every spiritual privilege, is both purchased for us and sprinkled unto us by the blood of Christ.
Obs. 6. There is such an uncleanness in our natures, our persons, our duties, and worship, that unless they and we are all sprinkled with the blood of Christ, neither we nor they can have any acceptance with God.
Obs. 7. The sacrifice of Christ is the one, only, everlasting fountain and spring of all sanctification and sacred dedication; whereby the whole new creation is purified and dedicated unto God.
Fuente: An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews
the patterns: Heb 9:9, Heb 9:10, Heb 9:24, Heb 8:5, Heb 10:1, Col 2:17
the heavenly: Heb 9:11, Heb 9:12, Heb 9:14, Heb 9:24, Heb 10:4, Heb 10:10-17, Luk 24:26, Luk 24:46, Joh 14:3, 1Pe 1:19-21, Rev 5:9
Reciprocal: Exo 26:1 – the tabernacle with ten curtains Exo 26:30 – according to the fashion Exo 29:36 – cleanse Exo 30:10 – Aaron Lev 8:35 – the tabernacle Lev 9:9 – General Lev 16:10 – to make Lev 16:16 – an atonement Lev 16:18 – General Num 8:4 – the pattern 2Ch 4:6 – but the sea 2Ch 29:16 – the inner part Psa 84:1 – How Psa 102:19 – the height Eze 45:15 – to make Joh 3:25 – about Joh 13:8 – If Joh 14:2 – I go Eph 1:3 – heavenly Eph 2:15 – the law Eph 4:10 – ascended Eph 5:2 – a sacrifice Heb 7:26 – such Heb 8:2 – the true Heb 10:19 – to enter Heb 11:40 – better
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Heb 9:23. It was therefore necessary, etc. Paul is still speaking about the patterns or types in the Old Testament, that even they had to be purified or dedicated by these, meaning the blood of animal sacrifies. The blood of Christ has not been considered as yet. Then the apostle introduces by inference only the necessity of the blood of Christ. If the patterns or types of heavenly things required such blood (without the shedding of which there was no remission for the Hebrews), then the heavenly things themselves–the things pertaining to the New Testament called for better sacrifices. This is Paul’s introduction for the blood and sacrifice of Christ, which has not been the subject for several verses.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Heb 9:23. The patterns; rather, the representations, the heavenly things themselves being the original patterns shown to Moses in the mount (Heb 8:5), whence the earthly copies were taken: but the heavenly things themselves (heaven and the things therein, see Heb 9:24) by better sacrifices than these. How the heavenly things need purifying has been much discussed. The simplest explanation is that the heavenly things received purification through the blood of Christ, in the same sense as the tabernacle received purification through the blood that was offered in it. The tabernacle had no impurity of its own. It needed purifying because of the uncleanness of the people, and because of the uncleanness which the entrance of the people without atonement would have introduced. Forgiveness without atonement would have sullied the holiness of God. By the blood of Christ God is just while justifying the ungodly. The place that was unapproachable by reason of our sin, is made free to the guiltiest: but for this purpose there were needed sacrifices better far than those that Aaron offered.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
As if the apostle had said, “If the tabernacle and utensils thereunto belonging, which were patterns and types of heavenly things, must be consecrated by the blood of bulls and goats, much more must the heavenly things themselves, which were shadowed by them, be purified and consecrated by better blood than the blood of beasts, even with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.”
Learn hence, 1. That there is such uncleanness in our natures, in our persons, in our duties, in all our services, that, unless they and we are purified by the blood of Christ, neither we nor they can have any acceptance with God.
Learn, 2. That the sacrifice of Christ is the one only everlasting fountain and spring of all sanctification and sacred dedication, whereby the whole new creation is purified and dedicated unto God.
Learn, 3. That neither heaven itself, nor heavenly things, could have been made meet for us, or we for them, had not they been dedicated, and we purged, by the sacrifice of Christ. By heavenly things here we may understand heaven itself, of which the tabernacle was a type.
Now as the purification which their persons might be presented before God; in like manner, was heaven itself prepared and purified for us by our Lord’s entrance into it, with his own atonement, or propitiatory sacrifice. Christ’s entering into heaven, and his appearing with his blood of sprinkling in the presence of God for us, procures the acceptance of our prayers and praises whilst we live, and our admission into those heavenly mansions of bliss and glory prepared for us when we die.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Results of Christ’s Entrance Into Heaven
Having seen Christ’s blood is needed, it is important to recognize continual sheddings of it are not required. If there were a need for yearly sacrifices to cleanse man’s sins, those sacrifices would have been required from the fall of Adam to the present. The single offering of Christ was all that was needed and is able to cleanse the sins of man from the time of his fall to the end of the earth. Christ came at the “completion of the ages,” thus the last age of God’s dealings with man. Jesus made His sacrifice at the beginning of this last age ( Heb 9:24-26 ; Heb 1:2 ; 1Co 10:11 ; 1Pe 1:2 ).
While the High Priest had to make an annual sacrifice to cleanse his own sins and the sins of the people, Christ, who was without sin, has no need of those yearly cleansings. Also, His sacrifice was perfect for the task and only needed once. So, like all men, He had to die once and face the consequences of sin. Of course, the sin He bore was not His own. “Appointed” means “reserved for,” or “laid up.” Jesus came as a sin bearer, or sin offering, the first time, but He will not do so the second time. We as Christians are like the people under the old law who awaited the return of the High Priest from the Holy of Holies. Jesus will come again as He promised ( Joh 14:1-6 ) and as the writer assures his readers ( 1Th 4:13-18 ). Christ’s second coming is also mentioned in 2Th 1:5-10 , where we learn of the reward Christians will receive and the punishment non-Christians will receive ( Heb 9:27-28 ).
Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books
Heb 9:23. It was, therefore, &c. That is, it plainly appears from what has been said, it was necessary According to the appointment of God; that the patterns of things in the heavens Termed the figures of the true, (Heb 9:24,) namely, the covenant, the book, the tabernacle, with all the vessels of its ministry, which were shadowy representations of heavenly things That is, of the things of the gospel, whether belonging to the church militant or the church triumphant; should be purified with these Should be procured for, or opened and sanctified to the enjoyment of the priests and people, by these oblations and sprinklings with blood, and those other things which were appointed by the law to be all used for their purification. He says purified, or cleansed, not because the tabernacle and its utensils, the book of the law, &c., were unclean in themselves, but because through the uncleanness of the people they would have been considered as polluted if not thus purified. But the heavenly things themselves That is, the things whereof the others were patterns, the redemption, worship, salvation, and eternal glory of the church; by better sacrifices than these Namely, by the one sacrifice of Christ, expressed in the plural number, because it included the signification of all other sacrifices, exceeded them indignity, and was of more use and efficacy than they all. For by this alone could spiritual and eternal blessings, the privileges of Gods church on earth and in heaven, be laid open to the enjoyment of guilty and polluted sinners. In other words, and especially as the Jewish tabernacle, including the holy and the most holy place, could not be entered by the priests, and opened to the prayers and other acts of religious worship of them and of the people, nor the utensils and ceremonies of the tabernacle service be sanctified to them, without the sacrifices and atonements appointed in the law; so the heavenly holy places represented by them, could not be opened for the reception of the prayers and praises of Gods people while they are here, nor of their persons hereafter, except through the sacrifice and intercession of Christ. Or, as Mr. Scott paraphrases the passage, It was then necessary by the appointment of the law for the exemplars or types of heavenly things to be purified by the sacrifice of innocent animals, and by the application of their blood, or they could not be acceptably used in the worship of God; but it was necessary, for more durable and immutable reasons, that the heavenly things themselves should be purified by an atonement of superior excellence, even by the one sacrifice of the death of Christ. In order to his efficaciously interceding for sinners in heaven, and opening for them the way to the mercy-seat, it was necessary that Christ should on earth, in our nature, shed his blood, and die a sacrifice on the cross; that he might have the infinite merit of that sacrifice to plead before the throne, in behalf of all who should come unto God by him; otherwise mercy, shown to sinners, would dishonour the justice and holiness of God, and their admission into heaven would, as it were, defile that holy place.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Heb 9:23-28. The surpassing worth of Christs sacrifice, as compared with those of the first covenant, is again enforced. To cleanse the Tabernacle, which was the earthly type of the sanctuary in heaven, the sprinkling of blood was necessary; but the heavenly sanctuary itself had to be cleansed with blood more precious. It is conceived as incurring a certain defilement through contact with the sins that are absolved in it. A cleansing is therefore necessary, as in the case of the earthly sanctuary. Christ has entered into the sanctuary in heaven; His ministry was enacted in no merely symbolic temple, but in the temple above, where God dwells in very deed (Heb 9:24). Not only so, but His one entrance into that temple sufficed for ever. The earthly High Priest must enter every year into the holy of holies with sacrificial blood, obtained from a slain animal. If Christ were thus required to repeat His offering, His death would not have been a solitary event, but one that had often to be re-enacted, so as to atone for the sin of each successive age. As it is, He died but once; when the worlds history was on the point of closing He appeared on earth, and by the offering of Himself made full atonement for all the accumulated sins of mankind (Heb 9:25 f.). This finality of Christs death is illustrated (Heb 9:27 f.) by what happens in the case of every human being. A man dies but once, and then awaits the judgment on his deeds. So by the death of Christ His redeeming work was definitely brought to an end. His next appearance on earth will have no reference to the work of atonement, but will have for its sole purpose the reception into eternal life of those whom He has redeemed.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
Verse 23
The patterns of things in the heavens; that is, of spiritual things;–these ceremonial services being so considered, as represented in Hebrews 8:5.–With these; with the blood of animal sacrifices.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
9:23 [It was] therefore necessary that the {o} patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
(o) The counterparts of heavenly things were earthly, and therefore they were to be set forth with earthly things, as with the blood of beasts, wool and hyssop. But under Christ all things are heavenly, and therefore they could not be sanctified with the offering of his living blood.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Whereas animal blood adequately cleansed the prototype on earth under the Old Covenant, a better sacrifice was necessary to cleanse the realities in heaven (cf. Heb 8:5; Heb 9:24). Thus Jesus Christ’s death was essential. The "heavenly things" may refer to the consciences of men and women. [Note: Bruce, The Epistle . . ., p. 218.] It seems more likely, however, that they refer to the things connected with the heavenly tabernacle. This may include angels that need cleansing (cf. Job 4:18; Job 15:15) [Note: Pentecost, A Faith . . ., pp. 156-57.] and or "wickedness beyond this earth" [Note: Morris, p. 91.] (cf. Rom 8:38-39; 1Co 2:8; Eph 6:12; Col 1:20; Col 2:15).
"As sinful pilgrims on their way to the heavenly city, God’s people defile all they touch, even their ’meeting place’ with God, and they need the constant efficacy of the sacrifice of Christ their High Priest to remove that defilement." [Note: David J. MacLeod, "The Cleansing of the True Tabernacle," Bibliotheca Sacra 152:605 (January-March 1995):71.]